


Filling the Void

by SheeWolf85



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blow Jobs, Cultural Differences, Cunnilingus, Developing Relationship, Drinking, Drunk Sex, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, I'm not sure yet, Light Voyeurism, M/M, Marking, Masturbation, Mental Health Issues, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mildly Dubious Consent, Misunderstandings, Non-Consensual Marking, One Night Stands, Past Verbal Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Scent Marking, Self-Acceptance, Self-Esteem Issues, Shower Sex, Vaginal Fingering, a touch of violence, consensual marking, drunk skellies, dub-con, fell-verse racism, not thoroughly explored but it's there for sure, only not because they can't get enough of each other, other marking, past emotional abuse, possible soul mates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2019-11-28 20:45:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 119,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18213395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheeWolf85/pseuds/SheeWolf85
Summary: Attempting to get over his ex, Stretch finds himself in a bar on the wrong side of town. There, he meets another skeleton monster and winds up going home with him. It was supposed to have just been a one night stand, nothing more than casual sex to remind him that there were other monsters out there worth his time.Being with Edge fills a void in Stretch's soul he never even knew he had. As it turns out, Edge feels the same.A story of overcoming the effects of long-term emotional abuse, both from an ex-partner and from a society, with the help of others.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I swear to all that is holy and good in this world that this was supposed to be a oneshot before the goddamn plot happened. Why did I have to ask myself why Stretch would be in a bar? Can't he just want to be in a bar? I mean, not all the sex has to have some deeper emotional meaning, does it? 
> 
> Okay, I'll stop ranting. I'm really loving how this is turning out and I hope you all like it as well. 
> 
> I'm still trying to figure out this whole "finding time to write" bullshit, and who the fuck knows if I'll ever really get it down, but I do fully intend on starting back on my unfinished stories once this is over. I anticipate about four to five chapters, maybe? 
> 
> The dub-con tag is because I am serious about consent and I don't think it's possible to give full consent if you're drunk. Both Edge and Stretch are drunk their first time, and Edge is coherent enough to recognize hesitance so I don't see it as coercion, but I wouldn't feel right if I didn't tag it.

The bar was crowded, dim yet well lit enough to see out onto the dance floor, and smelled of alcohol, fried food, sweat, and too many different types of cologne all smashed into an abomination of musk and flowers. It wasn’t the kind of place he’d normally frequent, mostly because his former lover wouldn’t be caught dead in such a place.

Stretch sucked in a breath and stared down at his whiskey. Don’t think about him.

Yeah. Easier thought than done.

If he was honest with himself, he wasn’t sure why he was here in the first place. He could blame it on wanting to piss off his ex, but he had no intention of letting anyone know--especially that bastard--that he’d come here tonight. He could say he just wanted to get away for awhile, but there were a thousand other places he could go if that were the case.

It was true that he wanted to get out of the house for a while. His ex had left a few things at his place and had yet to come get them despite Stretch’s numerous voicemails and texts to do so. Watching TV and even napping were only functional getaways for so many days in a row before Stretch needed a new vacation from reality. 

He’d called his brother, hoping spending some quality time together could be on the itinerary, but he was out with Alphys and wouldn’t be home until the next morning. 

Not having a destination in mind, he’d opted for walking instead of teleporting anywhere. He’d gone where his feet led him, and they’d led him here.  He didn’t exactly put up a fight against the idea of getting shitfaced drunk to forget about his miserable existence. 

A tiny part of him had entertained the idea of seeking out someone to fuck for about half a nanosecond before he remembered that these were all fell-verse monsters and he wasn’t exactly a snack. He’d worn an orange t-shirt that declared, “I tell science puns periodically,” a pair of probably dirty jeans with holes littered around the knees, and day-glo orange converse on his feet. Sexy.

And so he sat here, ordering whiskey from the bartender and slowly drowning in his sorrows. 

Taking the last sip of his drink, he looked up to find the bartender. Instead, his eyes landed on a stranger across the bar. Another skeleton monster. Stretch had only ever met a few others like himself. This one had sharp, pointed teeth and a jagged scar intersecting his left eye socket. His eye lights burned a bright crimson that looked dangerously inviting with the black leather jacket he was wearing. He would be hard-pressed to say seeing him didn’t do funny things to his body.

And he was staring right back at Stretch. 

Quickly, Stretch averted his eyes. He glanced around the room for only a few seconds before his eye lights betrayed him and landed back on the handsome stranger. This time, he was smirking back at Stretch. 

He looked down into his glass and took a deep breath. The guy was probably here with someone. Even if he wasn’t, he could do a hell of a lot better than Stretch. 

Allowing himself another peek, he once again met the stranger’s eye lights. He was still smirking, only this time it was about ten times sexier as he lifted his glass to his mouth and took a drink. Stretch did his best to smile back.

A large shape blocked his view, and Stretch looked up to see the bartender.

“Another?” he asked, his voice a much higher pitch than his huge muscles made it seem it should be.

Stretch nodded. “yeah.”

After his glass was filled, the bartender stepped away and Stretch was surprised to see the other skeleton still staring at him.

He had a choice to make. He could try to muster up of the courage to introduce himself, or he could stay in his seat and hope the stranger came to him.

Something in his soul tugged hard at the thought of introducing himself. This was something important, it told him. He needed to move on from his ex, at least start testing the waters again, and this stranger was a way to do that.

Steeling his nerves, he took a deep breath and a gulp of his drink for courage, then started to get up.

But stopped mid-movement when he saw the other skeleton already talking to someone. A red-haired fish monster with an eye patch over one eye and a menacing grin rested her hip against the bar next to the stranger as she leaned into her hand on the bar, the other hand on her hip. He was saying something to her, and her response was a boisterous laugh Stretch could hear from his spot.

Stretch sat back down. He should have known better. Either the stranger was here with the woman or she was chatting him up. It didn’t really matter either way; Stretch was no comparison to that, and it was pretty damn obvious that a sexy, scarred skeleton would prefer someone equally badass. 

When he dared a look, his soul sunk further. They were both gone. So much for this being the night he moved past his ex. Words the other monster had said trailed through his skull, reminding him of just how useless, unimpressive, and stupid he was. 

A few minutes passed with Stretch staring into his whiskey cradled between his long fingers before he felt a presence next to him. Curiously, he looked up.

His soul skipped a beat. 

“Hello.”

The scarred skeleton’s voice was deep, rich, and rough as gravel. 

Stretch had to swallow twice to force his voice to work again. “uh...hi.”

“Mind if I sit?” the stranger gestured to the empty bar stool next to him.

“um...no. no, i don’t mind.” What exactly was going on here? Didn’t this guy leave to go bang the fish woman or something?

He settled himself onto the stool and folded his leather-clad arms on the counter. “What’s your name?”

“stretch.” He swallowed again and managed to look back over at his new companion. “yours?”

“I’m Edge. Can I buy you a drink?”

He looked lamely down at his glass, still a bit left. Without thinking, he lifted it up and gulped down the remainder of the alcohol. Wincing at the burn, he grunted before nodding. 

“sure.”

Edge smirked again and raised a gloved hand to get the bartender’s attention. After the drinks were ordered, he turned to look at Stretch.

“so, uh...not to be rude or anything, but...didn’t you...weren’t you...y’know...with the fish lady?”

Edge stared at him for a second before he laughed softly, a dark sound that went straight through Stretch’s body.

“She’s a friend. She was telling me how I need to get off my ass and come talk to you before someone else snatched you up.”

Stretch met his eye lights briefly, their intensity forcing him to look away after only a few seconds. He didn’t know how to respond to that. He coughed. 

“i doubt anyone else was interested.”

Edge hummed and looked around almost comically. “One...two...I think three; that one’s hard to tell. Four, five and six…”

Stretch looked over to see if he could figure out what Edge was doing as he continued counting. When he couldn’t, he asked. 

“I’ve spotted eight different people in the last few seconds who look rather pissed that I’m sitting here and not them. I’d say that’s interested. Not to mention the others I noticed watching you when you were still alone.”

Stretch scoffed. “i think it’s more likely they’re pissed that you picked me and not them.”

“Hardly. They know I’d rip them apart if they touched me. This isn’t my first time here, but I’d bet half my salary it’s yours.”

He met Edge’s eye lights again, this time holding them for a few seconds while he formed a response. He could say that Edge was wrong, but he’d be lying. 

“what makes you say that?”

Edge took a drink of his whiskey, eyeing Stretch the whole time, before he answered. “You’re tale-verse.”

“...and?” 

“I’m sure you’ve noticed most monsters here are fell-verse?”

Stretch shrugged. “hard not to. i still don’t get why that means it’s my first time here.”

Edge just chuckled. “You’re cute. Come dance with me.”

He didn’t have a chance to argue as Edge slipped off the stool and all but dragged Stretch to dance floor. 

The rest of the evening was spent pressed against Edge in one way or another. On the dance floor, Edge kept an arm around him at all times. It wasn’t hard to tell why when someone tried to pull Stretch away and Edge growled possessively, nearly clawing into the other monster’s arm as he pushed them away. At the bar, Edge had scooted his stool close enough to press their shoulders together as they talked and drank. 

Stretch still wasn’t sure how they found themselves outside, Edge’s whole body pressing him against a wall as they kissed roughly, devouring each other’s mouths and feeling out each other’s bodies like neither could get enough.

Edge pulled back, breaking the kiss with a groan, and looked down at him with a predatory gleam in his eye lights. 

“Come home with me?”

“what, you’re not just gonna fuck me out here?” Stretch asked teasingly.

Edge frowned slightly. “I’ve never really been in to public sex, but--”

Stretch laughed. “no, no i’m not either.” He gripped the front of Edge’s leather jacket, taking the open zipper in both hands and tugging gently. “take me home, mr. tall, dark, and handsome.”

Edge snorted but began to lead Stretch back to the front of the building where he hailed a cab and instructed the driver where to go.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for giving this story a chance. It means so much!

Edge was drunk.

He hardly ever drank. He knew what it was like and he’d never cared for the foggy thoughts or limited reaction time. Not to mention the way the morning headache made his damaged socket ache like a bitch in heat.

He wasn’t sure how he’d let Undyne talk him into drinking tonight. Perhaps she’d slyly traded out his diet soda for rum and coke at some point. He really wouldn’t put it past her. 

In the end, it didn’t matter, because even if she had, he’d have been able to tell just by the scent and could have pitched a fit if he wanted to. Instead, he’d chosen to keep drinking, eventually exchanging whatever the fuck for harder liquor and now here he was bringing a stranger into his home to do ungodly things to him. 

And not just any stranger. A tale-verse stranger who had never been with a fell-verse monster. 

When Stretch had asked how he could tell that he’d never been to the bar, Edge was half-tempted to admit the truth. The only reason he didn’t was because one of those drunken, hopeful thoughts wiggling around in his skull warned him that it might scare the monster away. 

Fell-verse monsters marked their partners, whether it was for a single night or a lifetime commitment. They marked them with a scent or an actual physical mark, sometimes even with magic. It was to help avoid fell-verse monsters killing each other over mates.

Tale-verse monsters, for the most part, stayed with their own kind. There were the occasional softer monsters who wanted to walk on the wild side, as it were, and any fell-verse monster would jump at the opportunity. Edge had heard the experience was more fulfilling in more ways than just physical. He’d heard a lot of things, sure, but he’d never been with anyone tale-verse himself. 

Had he been clear-headed, he would have explained the situation to Stretch and suggested he go somewhere else to drown his misery; somewhere he wouldn’t be stalked like prey. 

Too bad the alcohol had turned him into the hunter.

As soon as the front door shut behind them, Edge had Stretch pinned against it. He leaned in and nosed along his jawline, drinking in his sweet scent.

“You want this?” he asked. He let his tongue dart out to lick at Stretch’s cervical vertebrae.

Stretch whined, such a beautiful sound. “stars, yes. please.” 

Edge’s hand snaked down his spine, feeling out his vertebrae as he went, until he reached his hips. There, he trailed his hand over his iliac crest to the front of his pants. Stretch gasped when Edge pressed his fingers there, cupping the already-formed magic and rubbing a light circle.

“oh fuck!” Stretch bucked his hips, his hands clawing at Edge’s shoulders. His breaths were coming in gasps as he arched his back and frantically pressed a kiss to Edge’s mouth.

Deepening the kiss, Edge held Stretch tighter and easily popped the button on his jeans. He slipped his hand inside, his own magic finally taking shape at the feel of how wet Stretch had become at just a little light touching. Groaning deep in his throat, he pressed himself harder to Stretch and began rubbing his slick clit in earnest.

Stretch broke the kiss with a wild gasp and moaned, his eyelights hazing and his bones beginning to shake. 

“you...you don’t have to...oh fuck!” He leaned his head back against the door and bucked against Edge’s fingers as he continued to try to speak. “you don’t have to do this, edge. you can...oh! just...fuck me.”

“Do you want me to stop?” Edge asked, dipping a finger inside Stretch’s cunt. “You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

“yeah, but…” he shuddered hard as a deep moan tore through his chest. “you need…”

“I need to see you cum.” He added another finger and scissored them, stretching his cunt before he thumbed his clit. 

“i can cum on your dick.”

Edge grinned. “Yes, and you will. But you’ll cum for me now, too. Let me see your face, Stretch. Let me hear you.”

Stretch wailed as he came, his pussy tightening around Edge’s fingers and his hands gripping Edge’s shoulders like a lifeline. Edge watched, his body throbbing with need as Stretch rode out the last of his orgasm.

Finally, Stretch slumped against Edge, panting and shaking. Edge planted a kiss against his skull before leading the way to his bedroom.

“I want to taste you.” Edge said as he shut the door behind them. He smirked at the blush that spread across Stretch’s cheekbones. 

“you really don’t have to do that,” he said, a little shy.

Edge crossed his arms and leaned back against the door. “I’m aware. I said I want to taste you, not that I’m going to eat you out against my will.”

Stretch was strangely silent for a few long moments, an awkward tension beginning to fill the air.

Edge cleared his throat. “Unless you don’t want me to, that is.”

He watched as Stretch smirked and huffed a half-humorous laugh. “i uh...can’t say i don’t want you to. just...y’know...not really used to so much pampering.”

Edge hummed. Something inside him told him there was another reason for Stretch’s hesitance. It was something he probably would have explored if he wasn’t so damn horny. Instead of prying any further, he pushed away from the wall and stalked his way to Stretch, pushing lightly until he fell backward onto the bed.

Stretch laughed as Edge tugged his shoes off, then his pants. Edge took a moment to appreciate his long legs, all clean, pearly bones entirely unmarked. Honey-colored magic shone at his joints and his pelvis, his wet cunt begging for a taste. 

Edge leaned in and pressed a few light kisses to his femurs before getting to his prize. The first lick caused Stretch to cry out and jerk his hips up, nearly smashing his pelvis into Edge’s face. Smirking to himself, he placed his hands on Stretch’s bones to keep him in place and began to search out what felt good and what felt better.

The sounds Stretch made and the way he moved his body were hypnotizing, beautiful in a way Edge had never experienced. His back arched as he cried out, panting moans and pleas for more, and Edge felt like he could get drunk on those noises alone. Stretch’s fingers feeling out his own ribs, pressing to spots that felt good, was more of a turn on than Edge thought it should be, especially when he lifted his shirt and dragged a hand filthily down his sternum to fondle his floating ribs. 

He came in a rush of magic, his body seizing up and jerking as he choked out cries and clawed at Edge’s skull, trying to pull him closer and keep him there.

Edge slowly kissed his way up Stretch’s spine, taking a moment to savor each and every unmarked rib and lick a stripe up his sternum. 

Stretch’s eyes were closed as he laid down next to him, his chest rising and falling as he panted. He opened his sockets to reveal blown-out eye lights, and his cheeks turned that intoxicating pale orange.

“sorry,” he whispered.

Edge furrowed his brow. “For what?”

“made a mess.”

Something hard tugged at Edge’s soul. He pushed it aside and leaned in to kiss Stretch’s cheekbone. “Nonsense; that was beautiful.”

The color on his cheeks darkened further. “then i’m sorry because i think i need a minute.”

“Still nonsense. Take all the time you need; my cock can wait.”

That time, Stretch frowned. “why are you being so nice to me?”

“Nice? I finger-fucked you and ate you out; it’s not like--”

“yeah, exactly. and you’re over there with a hard-on just waiting for me to be ready. doesn’t it hurt?”

Did it? Edge wasn’t sure. Probably not. “Does it matter?”

Unexpectedly, Stretch turned his face away and covered his eyes with an arm. His breath hitched, and Edge couldn’t help but feel he’d said something wrong. 

“Stretch?”

“what?”

Edge was silent for a few moments, unsure of what to say. His thoughts were muddling together and a part of him wanted to just climb on top of Stretch and take him. He couldn’t. No matter how drunk or horny he was, there were lines he’d never cross. 

“Do you want to stop?” he finally asked.

Stretch turned to look at him again, a mournful expression on his face. “no.”

“Are you sure?”

“i’m sure. you still need--”

“No,” Edge said, a little harsher than he’d intended. He took a breath and managed to soften his tone. “What I need is for you to want this. If you don’t, or if you’re not sure, then we stop.” He leaned in and kissed the other lightly. “I won’t be angry or hurt or whatever other bullshit. I just need to know.”

Stretch nodded and sucked in a breath. “i really do want this, edge. i’m confused because i thought fell-verse monsters were supposed to be all feral and demanding, but so far you’ve been better to me than my ex ever was.” He cringed. “sorry, i shouldn’t mention him.”

Suddenly everything clicked into place. Someone had hurt Stretch deeply. Perhaps not all at once and perhaps not intentionally, but someone had taught him that his body was not his own, that he was meant to please and not be pleasured in return. 

Well. At least Edge got to be the one to teach Stretch differently.

“I won’t be offended if you tell me how good I am in bed.” He kissed Stretch again, deepening it slowly before he pulled away. “Let me show you how good sex can be.”

Stretch nodded and squirmed a little before rolling onto his back. Edge got up and stripped his clothes methodically, trying not to pay any attention to Stretch’s reactions to his scarred bones. He folded each item and set it aside before he moved to lay down next to Stretch.

“I want you on top,” he said as Stretch looked at him in confusion. “I want you to be able to control this and find what feels good for you. I promise, it’ll be good for me, too.”

Stretch swallowed and nodded again as he slowly pushed himself up and climbed awkwardly over Edge. 

“i don’t really know...i mean…”

Edge pulled him down and kissed him for a moment as his other hand went between Stretch’s legs. He pushed a finger inside his still-dripping pussy before adding another, making sure he was wet enough to accommodate his size.

“Let me guide you,” Edge said softly. 

“okay.” 

Edge made sure to keep his eyes open as he slipped inside Stretch, watching his face as he slowly sank down. A few winces and a jerk of his body, but all of the tension in those beautiful bones melted away when he settled down all the way. He let out a sigh and opened his eyes, looking down at Edge with an expression that made his soul lurch. What he wouldn’t give to see someone look at him like that every damn day.

Stretch put his hands on Edge’s chest, leaning into him and using it as leverage to lift himself just over half way before sliding back down again. He whimpered, his eyes closing again briefly.

“oh, that feels good,” he sighed.

Edge’s hands went to Stretch’s hips, holding gently and guiding as he helped Stretch find a rhythm. He couldn’t find the words to express how good it was, and he didn’t care to try. Instead, he let his body show it as he rocked his hips in time with Stretch’s movements and let his hands wander to search out those places that made Stretch melt.

He struggled still to keep his sockets open. He wanted to savor this, wanted to watch every inch of Stretch’s body as he writhed gracefully on top of him, his bones covered in sweat and so damn sexy.

“i think...oh, i think i’m close!” Stretch wailed, his fingertips curling around Edge’s ribs. He bent over, panting and whimpering as his movements became more and more erratic. 

Edge shoved his hand between them, his own end coming faster than he liked to admit, and circled his clit in a desperate attempt to make him cum first. Amazingly, it worked. Stretch gasped as he came, a choked sound as he jerked and his pussy clamped tightly around Edge’s cock.

Edge arched his back as he came, pleasure erupting through his entire body all at once. It was almost too much. He held Stretch a little too tightly as he cried out. 

It lasted for an eternity before he finally relaxed, Stretch collapsed on top of him, little aftershocks causing his body to twitch lightly every few seconds. Edge pet his skull for a moment, revelling in the pure bliss of a post-orgasmic haze.

All too soon, Edge was reminded of how sticky he was and how much worse it would get if he allowed them to remain there much longer. Pressing a kiss to Stretch’s skull, he pushed on his shoulders lightly.

“We need to get up.”

Stretch let out an adorable whine and shook his head. “can’t.” The word was muffled against Edge’s chest. 

“Yes you can. Come shower with me, then we can go to bed.”

“comfy.”

Edge chuckled. “You only think you are, but I promise we’ll both have terrible aches in the morning if we stay this way.”

Stretch offered a dismal attempt at a shrug. “don’t care.”

“Well, I do. Please don’t make me force you.” He kissed his skull again and let a hand trail lazily down his spine. “I’m too tired and drunk to be very efficient. I’d probably drop you.”

That caused Stretch to grunt. He sucked in a deep breath and shivered. “cold.”

“Yes, because you’re covered in sweat and cum. Let’s shower and then you can get warm in bed.”

“mmmm-kay.”

Edge waited for Stretch to move, but after a moment it was evident he was only falling further away into sleep. He shook Stretch’s shoulders lightly. “I can’t get up if you don’t.”

With a profound groan, Stretch managed to push himself off Edge, only rolling to the side. Edge got up and took hold of his hands, hoisting him up. Stretch was a little wobbly on his feet, but Edge managed to keep him steady as he led the way to the bathroom.

The shower was meant to be quick, but Stretch woke up enough to remember that while he’d gotten off three times, Edge had only cum once. It didn’t take much to convince Edge that a blowjob in the shower was an excellent idea. 

Once in bed, Edge wanted nothing more than to just allow fatigue to overtake him. It wasn’t until he noticed Stretch was huddled on the very edge of the mattress beside him that he realized something might be wrong.

“Stretch?”

“mm?”

“Are you comfortable.”

The hesitation before his answer was a few beats too long. “yeah.”

“Come here.” He reached out and put a hand on Stretch’s shoulder, gently tugging. 

Stretch didn’t argue. He turned around and all but shoved himself into Edge’s arms, snuggling into him and sighing with such relief that Edge knew he’d been afraid to ask for this. Holding his temporary lover tightly, he pressed a kiss to his skull before whispering a good night. Stretch barely hummed in response, already on his way to blissful unconsciousness.

With a smile on his face, Edge closed his eyes and gave Stretch one last squeeze before allowing himself to sleep as well.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am having so much fun with this story you guys. This chapter was the most fun to write so far. I can't promise daily updates will continue, but I'll do my best!

As Stretch woke up slowly, the only thing registering to his consciousness was warmth. He snuggled deeper into silky sheets and a heavy comforter, breathing in the spicy scent of something unfamiliar yet comforting. 

As he woke further, he became aware of new aches he was pretty sure hadn’t been there the morning before. It seemed every bone had something to say and very few were pleasant. 

His skull pounded with a reminder of how much alcohol he’d consumed the night before. His arms and legs felt like wet noodles, and his pelvis ached with the sweet soreness of having been thoroughly fucked. 

Oh. 

Oh, right. 

He actually had been thoroughly fucked. 

He slowly opened his eyes, thankful that the room was dark. Beside him, the unfamiliar bed was empty. Stretch frowned and lifted his head enough to look around. 

The room was utilitarian, the only furniture the bed, a small table to the left of the bed, and a dresser. On the table was a small lamp and an alarm clock with glaring red numbers informing him it was nearly nine o’clock in the morning. 

Nothing was hung on the walls, painted a clean off-white. The carpet was beige and something about it made him think it was either new or was usually cleaned with a comb. 

The only extravagance was the bedding. Rich crimson in color, the sheets were actual silk and the comforter was plush and warm.

Stretch almost wanted to lay back down and go back to sleep, but curiosity was getting the better of him. Where was Edge and why hadn’t he kicked Stretch to the curb yet?

He sat up slowly, closing his eyes against a wave of dizziness. After a moment, he looked around for his clothing. 

It didn’t take long to spot them sitting nearly folded on the end of the bed. Stretch got up and frowned at them. Maybe Edge was just a neat-freak like his brother and couldn’t stand to allow Stretch’s clothing to stay on the floor. 

He was satisfied with that explanation for all of two minutes. After pulling on his jeans, he noticed an unnerving difference from the night before. The carefully cultivated grease stains from fried food on the right thigh were gone. 

He lifted his shirt to his face and inhaled. His suspicion was confirmed. Edge had washed his clothes. What the fuck?

After slipping into his shoes, he walked to the door. Stopping just outside, he looked both ways down the hall. To his left was a short corridor with three other rooms, two shut and one that looked like it was probably a bathroom at the end of the hall. To his right was a large open area, mostly empty save for a comfortable looking couch and a few bookshelves filled with carefully organized volumes, and a staircase that led down.

Stretch crept slowly down the stairs as he tried to dodge the feeling of invading someone’s privacy. If Edge didn’t want him snooping around, he shouldn’t have left him alone. And besides, it wasn’t technically snooping if he was just looking for Edge, was it?

At the bottom of the stairs was a small landing with the front door, a key-shaped rack of seven hooks with a singular key ring with three keys attached hanging on it, and an impressive shoe organizer with far too many shoes. Stretch recognized the black motorcycle boots Edge had been wearing the night before. 

He turned away and sighed to himself before continuing his search. It only took a few more steps to find himself in a large, open living room complete with extravagant entertainment center, flat screen TV, gaming console, and Edge, sleeping on the oversized couch that managed to be long enough to fit him.

Stretch couldn’t help but take a few minutes to stare. Edge was sleeping on his back wearing a pair of black pajama bottoms and a tank top, one arm slung over his eyes and the other hand resting on his sternum. Stretch shivered as he remembered those long fingers on his body, inside him. 

A part of his soul felt hollow as he remembered more of the events from the night before. Neither of them had been under any illusions; it was a one-night deal and Stretch had no right to feel sad about leaving. It had been good sex, but in the end that was all it would ever be. 

He should have left already. He should have just walked out the door when he came downstairs instead of trying to find Edge. What was he going to do? Say thanks and hope for a reprisal? Did he honestly believe last night meant anything more to Edge than a quick fuck?

Stars, he was pathetic. 

He still couldn’t talk himself out of wanting to say goodbye. At the very least, he wanted to let Edge know that he was leaving. He took a few silent steps forward and reached down to gently shake Edge’s shoulder. 

It happened in an instant. Edge gasped, sharp magic sparking at his joints as he jolted upright and caught Stretch’s arms in a vice grip. One of his feet kicked Stretch’s legs out from under him, sending them both toppling to the floor as Stretch struggled to pull away. 

Panicked, Stretch’s soul sought out the last place he’d felt safe and teleported the two of them to Edge’s room. He knew it was stupid—he’d only die in Edge’s bed instead of the downstairs living room.

Surprisingly, Edge staggered away gasping for air and retching. Stretch sat on the floor where he’d fallen next to the bed, staring with wide sockets as Edge got control of himself.

Only a few moments passed before he straightened himself out and turned to Stretch. “How stupid can you be?” he shouted, taking a menacing step closer and gesturing with accusing hands. “You don’t ever do that! Never sneak up on a fell-verse monster like that. I could have killed you!”

Stretch swallowed and nodded shallowly. He knew fell-verse monsters tended to get violent when surprised. It was something that was whispered around like a dirty secret when he was a kid. As he got older, the whispers turned into warnings and double-dog dares to try to catch one unaware and live to brag about it. He should have known better. He should have just left. Stupid. So stupid.

“i’m sorry,” he whispered, pulling his legs up to his chest and hugging them like he had any right to feel ashamed. 

“Are you okay?”

Stretch just shrugged. 

Edge sighed and looked down at Stretch miserably for a long moment before he moved to sit next to him. Stretch tried not to flinch when Edge reached out and gently laid a hand on his arm. 

“Look at me.” His voice was demanding but not harsh.

Stretch obeyed, surprised by the honest concern in Edge’s eye lights. 

“Did I hurt you?”

“no.” 

“Are you sure?”

Not really understanding why Edge cared, he nodded anyway. “yeah, i’m sure.”

“It’s a damn good thing you can teleport. I’ve never handled it well and doing so undoubtedly saved your life.” He rubbed Stretch’s ulna gently with his fingertips, taking care not to scratch too hard. “My brother can teleport as well. He sometimes likes to use it as a method of torture.”

Stretch could only imagine another version of Edge deviously plotting ways to get his brother to toss his cookies. He smiled at the thought. It was something he’d done once or twice to friends when he needed to get back at them for something.

The two sat in silence for a long while. Stretch wasn’t sure how, but it went from being something like comfortable to awkward, neither knowing how to move on.

Edge’s grip on Stretch’s arm tightened and he groaned painfully, his free hand covering his scarred socket. 

“are you okay?” Stretch asked. He hadn’t even thought to check. 

Edge nodded. “Just a headache. I’m alright.”

“sorry.”

“It was the alcohol, not you. Don’t apologize.”

Stretch smirked. “okay then, i’m not sorry.”

“Good. Are you hungry?”

That brought Stretch up short. “what?”

Edge sighed. “I know you heard me and you’re familiar with what the question means.”

“yeah, but you want to feed me?”

Edge just looked at him for a few seconds before he finally answered. “I’m willing to offer you breakfast, yes. I’ve heard it’s the civilized thing to do. Why is that shocking to you?” The question sounded more like a challenge. 

Stretch shrugged. “i guess i just figured you’d want me gone as soon as possible this morning is all.” He couldn’t look Edge in the face as he answered.

Edge hummed. “You figured incorrectly.”

“do you offer this kind of full-service morning-after to all your one night stands?” Stretch asked with an amused lilt. 

“No, but then I rarely bring anyone home.”

“so i’m just lucky? it was the shoes, wasn’t it? see, i told my brother they’d help me get laid but he didn’t believe me.”

Edge snorted. “It certainly was not the shoes. It was one hundred percent the alcohol.”

Stretch tried not to let that comment get to him. If he’d been sober, he wouldn’t have gone home with a stranger and most definitely not a fell-verse stranger. Still, he could feel it start to eat at him. 

“Come down to the kitchen with me.” Edge stood and offered his hand. Stretch hesitated only a second before taking it. 

“don’t suppose you want to take a shortcut?” he asked with a devious smirk. 

Edge glared, but it was easy to see it was only half-hearted. “Try it and see what happens after I stop gagging.”

With a noncommittal shrug, Stretch took his hand back. “nah, i’ve had my fill of near death experiences this morning. i’ll pass.” He started walking, leading the way downstairs. 

* * *

Edge trailed behind Stretch as they went to the kitchen, watching his back curiously. He hadn’t been sure what to expect this morning, but this was...odd.

He hadn’t been sleeping on the couch when Stretch came down, just resting his eyes and allowing the pain in his socket to ease before he tried to do much else. He’d gotten up at his usual time that morning but had skipped his run in favor of downing some pain pills. He would have stayed in bed if it hadn’t been so damn awkward.

He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t heard the other get out of bed or any of his footsteps. If his teleportations were anything like his brother’s, then it was likely he couldn’t have just teleported directly into the room because he’d never been in it or even seen it before. 

It really didn’t matter. What mattered was that he was still alive and apparently didn’t hate Edge for reacting the way he had. 

He couldn’t decide if Stretch’s surprise over being offered breakfast was because Edge was fell-verse or because it had been a one-night stand. His kind were often considered uncivilized and feral by the tamer tale-verse monsters. It was only a rumor that being offered food by a fell-verse monster was the same as a claim of ownership, borne from decades past when food was scarce and monsters would do anything to feed their children. Nonetheless, it was a rumor many tale-verse monsters believed. 

Once in the kitchen, he gestured for Stretch to take a seat at the table. He quickly abandoned any ideas of cooking when his socket sent a shooting pain through his skull again and instead gathered what they’d need for cold cereal. 

After breakfast, Edge took the time to clean up. Stretch stood awkwardly at his side with his hands in the pockets of his jeans, obviously not sure what to do with himself or how to say goodbye. Strangely, Edge was okay with that. He wasn’t in a rush to get rid of him. 

“so, uh...edge?”

“Yes?”

“why did you wash my clothes?”

“I was bored and didn’t have a full load otherwise.”

He looked over at Stretch to find him staring back with adorably humorous eye lights. 

“bored?”

“Yes.”

Stretch smirked. Damn, he was beautiful. 

“and you do laundry when you’re bored?”

“There wasn't much else I could do without waking you. Either be thankful that you got to sleep longer and you have clean clothes or don’t, I really don’t care either way.”

“well, yeah i’m thankful for sleep anytime. I just think it’s funny ‘cause you’re not the only person i know who cleans when they’re bored. me, i sleep. my bro, he’ll invade the neighbor’s if he runs out of shit to do.”

Edge smiled as he dried the last spoon. “I have yet to invade any neighbors, but I won’t say it hasn’t come close once or twice.” 

“hey, speaking of my bro, i should call him. where’d you put my phone?”

Edge was silent for a moment as something roiled in his soul. This wasn’t good. “You didn’t have a phone.”

Stretch’s smile faded. “yeah, i always have my phone. it was in my pocket.” 

“No, there was no phone anywhere in your clothing. I checked. You had a receipt and a few candy wrappers in your pockets and that’s it. The receipt I put over there on the counter and the wrappers I threw away.”

Edge could feel a strange sense of panic rising from Stretch as he contemplated what could have happened. He knew what Stretch was going to suggest next. Edge had no way of proving Stretch hadn’t had a phone with him, and if he was being honest with himself he couldn’t blame Stretch for his assumptions. His soul felt heavy as he waited for Stretch to speak. 

“i left it there.”

Edge was taken aback, staring at Stretch with a furrowed brow. 

“You what?” He asked, entirely not sure if he’d even heard correctly. 

“i remember taking it out to look at the time around midnight. i thought i put it back but I must not have. shit.”

He didn’t think Edge took it? Didn’t think Edge was trying to keep him here as his own? 

Edge swallowed a rush of emotion and cleared his throat. “Let’s call the bar and see if anyone turned it in.” Although unlikely, it was all Edge had to offer. 

Stretch nodded. “yeah, okay.”

By a massive stroke of luck, the morning bartender was able to find the phone wedged between a booth seat and the wall. Edge had his suspicions that someone had tried to steal it but was too drunk or stupid or both to make sure they left with it. 

“thanks, edge. i should go get it and let blue know what’s up. he’s probably already tried to call me.”

“Let me come with you?” Edge was suddenly very aware of the mark he’d left on Stretch the night before. It was only a scent, marked as a temporary mate, but other fell-verse monsters could take it as a sign that he was up for grabs. The thought of anyone else getting their hands on him made Edge suppress a growl. 

Stretch smirked. “why?”

He had to come up with a better reason than making sure another monster didn’t touch him. “I have to get my bike. I hadn’t anticipated drinking last night and so I drove myself.”

With a shrug, Stretch agreed. “alright. just don’t expect me to let you drive me home.”

Edge scoffed. “I wasn’t going to offer.”

With that, he called a cab to come get the both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A part of me wants to do some world building and history because I have ideas, but another part is like "for the love of god no this is supposed to be SHORT." What do you guys think? Yay or nay? No promises, but I'd like to get some opinions.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are the best! Thanks so much for all your wonderful comments and for continuing to give this story a chance.

The cab ride was silent except for the soft sounds of the road and the radio playing smooth jazz. Unlike the night before, Edge stayed firmly in his seat with his hands in his lap. Stretch was all but laying down, lounging with a foot up on the seat as he looked out the window at the passing scenery. 

Edge wasn’t sure what to expect when they got to the bar. He’d never been during daylight hours, although he’d heard it was much quieter and more depressing. It didn’t matter. They’d go in, get Stretch’s phone, and they’d part ways. He assumed Stretch would teleport home, but then he wondered how far he lived and if that would even be possible. 

Regardless, Stretch had made it clear that he wasn’t going to accept an offer to take him home. Edge was going to have to let him make his own way. The thought was disturbing.

He mentally shook himself. Stretch was a grown up, probably able to take care of himself.

But he’d been marked. He was a walking advertisement, a scent on his soul telling fell-verse monsters, “for a good time, call…”

A sudden realization hit him with the force of a sledgehammer. He hadn’t told Stretch about the mark. It was possible that he already knew, but something about him seemed either too naive or perhaps he didn’t care to believe the stories he’d heard. Still, he needed to know. 

He waited until they’d reached the bar. Before they went inside, Edge grabbed Stretch’s arm and tugged him to the side. 

“what the hell--”

“I need to tell you something,” Edge interrupted. 

Stretch pulled his arm free but didn’t try to leave. “okay? what’s got your panties in a bunch?” He smirked.

“How much do you know about marking?”

Stretch stared blankly for a moment. “uh...what?” 

Shit. Edge sighed and leaned his head against the wall. He should have told Stretch the night before. He should have given him a choice. Fuck. 

“wait. what kind of marking?” His voice was pitched higher in concern and his hand went to his sternum just over his soul. 

“The kind you’re worried about.”

He took a step back. “did you do something to me?” He sounded so scared.

Edge nodded. “I’m so sorry, Stretch. I should have told you.”

“You’re damn fucking right you should have told me!” he shouted. “what the fuck? is that why you wanted to feed me? to come here with me? i don’t fucking belong to you, edge.”

He started to walk away, and Edge reached out to stop him. “No, Stretch, you don’t understand. Please listen.”

“oh, i understand perfectly.” He tried to pull away, but Edge’s grip didn’t loosen. “you thought you could get a little pet to play with? i’ve been through that shit already, thanks. let me go or i’ll take you with me.”

Edge let go, not because he didn’t want to teleport but because Stretch had asked him to. Stretch disappeared, and Edge leaned back against the wall. He knew it had been too good to be true. No matter how hard he tried, he would never escape the assumptions people made based on his heritage. 

With a sigh of resignation, he took his keys from his pocket and went to get his bike. 

* * *

Stretch was livid. He should have known there was a catch somewhere. When things seemed too good to be true, they usually were. He’d learned that time and again, and he still managed to let his guard down with a fucking fell-verse monster.

He went up to the counter, ignoring the few patrons sipping on drinks, and gestured for the bartender. She was a young, pretty bear monster with a line of piercings on both ears and one in her nose.

“What can I get for ya, honey?” she asked with a wink. 

He suppressed a shudder. He was done with fell-verse monsters for about the rest of forever. “my phone. i called earlier and someone found it here.”

“Oh, right. Hang on, hun. We locked it up in the back. Let me go grab it.” She put her polishing cloth down and walked through a set of swinging double doors to the back.

Stretch sat on the stool and sighed. He hoped this didn’t take long. Edge was probably out there plotting some way to get him back to his house. If his brother was able to teleport, he might know about its limitations and how to block it. Stars, he hoped not. His ex had made him feel like a prisoner on occasion, but he knew he’d never actually been trapped. It was his own stupidity that kept him in that relationship as long as it had lasted. 

“Hey there, cutie.”

He turned to see a short rabbit sitting next to him. He tried not to cringe at the smell coming off of him. He was already plastered, and it wasn’t even noon yet.

“not interested,” Stretch replied, turning back to watch the double doors.

He looked down at his arm when he felt a furry paw on his radius. The rabbit scratched lightly. 

“All I said was hi. What, can’t make a little friendly conversation? Call me Rick”

When he tried to pull his arm back, the rabbit’s claws held tighter. 

“let me go”. He hated the way his voice wavered. He wasn’t scared. He wasn’t. He was just fine and this asshole was going to leave him alone. “i said i’m not interested, and that includes friendly conversation.”

Rick laughed softly and leaned in. “Got ourselves a feisty one here, huh?” His smile dropped. “Listen, pal, I don’t got a lot’a energy to spare on chasing you around. What say you just drop the act and let me get you a drink?”

Stretch swallowed and looked around. Neither of the other two patrons seemed to care about what was happening. Those damned double doors stayed shut. What the hell was taking her so long? Had they lost the key to whatever they’d put his phone in? He couldn’t leave without it. Blue didn’t need the stress of reporting the phone stolen and getting him a new one. 

He took a breath and tried again to pull away from Rick. This time, his claws dug into bone. He thought of Edge and how careful he’d been the night before. It was all for show, he knew that now, but it didn’t stop him from wishing all fell-verse monsters pretended to be as gentle as he had been.

He got a sudden idea and glared at the rabbit. “can’t you see i’ve been marked?” he asked. “my mate won’t like you touching me.” Those words made him feel dirty. Stars, he hoped this worked. 

His soul sank when Rick let out a loud, unsteady laugh. “Yeah, you’re marked. What, you thought they wanted you forever? That’s a temporary mark, sweetheart. They wanted you one time and one time only. Don’t feel too bad. No fell-verse monster actually wants to be with anyone tale-verse for long. You’re nothing more than a fun experience.”

Stretch thought he might get sick. A part of him was relieved that Edge hadn’t wanted to own him, but all the same the rabbit’s words hurt. Key events of the night before and that morning replayed in his mind. He had actually felt wanted and cared for. He had missed that feeling. It had all been fake with his ex and it was all fake with Edge. 

Of course it was fake. What kind of idiot was he to think that anyone would actually want to be with someone like him? 

“It’s my turn to experience you,” Rick added, leaning in and running a hand up his arm.

Stretch was close to panicking and just leaving. Fuck the phone; he knew Blue wouldn’t be upset for long. He’d be forgiven eventually. He stood up, pushing Rick as he stepped back a few inches.

Rick growled, glaring dangerously at Stretch. Before he could do anything, someone came up and wrapped an arm around Stretch’s shoulders. Stretch flinched, turning to see Edge standing beside him.

He wasn’t sure how to react. Was he happy to see Edge? What the fuck was he even still doing here? 

“Now, Rick, we’ve talked about this,” Edge said with a growl. “What does it mean when someone says no?”

Rick only glared back. 

Edge lifted a foot and kicked Rick’s leg hard enough to rock the stool he was on. “Answer the fucking question.”

“It means back the fuck off,” he said grudgingly. “You’re done with him, what the fuck do you care?”

Edge stepped away, reaching out to grab Rick by the throat. He pushed him back, leaning him over the counter and hovering over him. “I care because we’re better than this! If you want to be what they think you are, then fine, but do it somewhere else. Don’t you fucking dare pull this shit around here again. I’m done giving warnings, Rick; I will kill you next time.”

He pushed Rick away, nearly sending him toppling to the ground, and turned around to see Stretch. “Did you get your phone?”

“no, the lady went back to get it but--”

The double doors finally swung open and the bartender came out in a rush. “I’m so sorry!” said with an all too happy tone. “The damn drawer was stuck, but we got it open. Here you go, hun.”

Stretch took the phone and looked at it for a second to make sure it was his and that everything was fine. His brother had called twice and left a voicemail, but nothing seemed amiss. He nodded a thanks and turned to leave. It wasn’t hard to notice Edge following him.

As soon as they were outside, he turned back with every intention of confronting him.

“I wasn’t spying on you,” Edge said hastily, holding up his hands. “Okay, I kind of was, but only because I wanted to make sure you got your phone and left without incident. I wasn’t going to follow you home or anything else, I swear.”

Stretch thought about that for a second. “what’s a temporary mark?” he asked. “why the hell did you even mark me if it’s only temporary? can you remove it or will it just go away?”

Edge sighed. “It would be easier to explain if you had a better understanding of marks in general. It’s not a choice we make. It just happens. Different marks have different meanings. A temporary one is just that; It means that I may have slept with you but I don’t claim you as my mate. I can’t remove it and it may fade but it won’t disappear. I am truly sorry.”

Stretch let himself take in the information.  “i wish you would have told me.”

“I should have. My only excuse is that I was drunk, and even that is a shitty reason. I just didn’t think about it after we left the bar.”

Stretch narrowed his sockets. “but you thought about it before?”

“When you asked me how I knew you’d never been here before. I’m sorry, Stretch.”

“yeah, you said that.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “don’t suppose you wanna make it up to me?”

Edge looked up, meeting his eye lights. “What?”

A part of him warned that he was just making another stupid mistake, but his soul told him something else. What had happened was a misunderstanding. It wasn’t an excuse, and it certainly didn’t let Edge off that hook, but Stretch understood how it happened. 

“buy me a coffee sometime and explain the whole marking thing to me better? i’m curious and i’d rather hear it from someone who lives it than read it in a book that probably got a lot of things wrong.”

Edge was silent for a few seconds. Stretch wasn’t sure how to take it until he finally nodded. “Is that all you want?” he asked doubtfully.

Stretch shrugged. “for now.”

He looked skeptical. “Okay, but by agreeing to this I am not agreeing to anything further without a thorough explanation, and I have every right to disagree with any other terms you set forth.”

He smirked. “you sound like a lawyer or something, but yeah, i’m okay with what you just said. i’d better get home and call my brother. give me your number and we’ll set up a time for coffee later.”

After exchanging numbers, Edge looked at Stretch uncertainly. “How are you planning to get home?”

“i know a shortcut.”

Edge clenched his jaw for a second. “Do you live close enough to teleport?”

Stretch narrowed his sockets. “i’m giving you a chance, edge, but i’m not telling you where i live.”

“And I don’t want you to. I just want to make sure that you can get there safely. Do you live close enough to teleport or would you like me to call you a cab?”

“i’ll find my way home. how about i text you when i get there so you can unclench your magic ass cheeks?”

Edge frowned. “Very funny. Fine. That’s...fine.” He sighed, obviously not very fine with it. Stretch didn’t care too much.

He gave Edge a mock salute and teleported halfway home, past the outer edges of fell-verse territory. He walked a bit to recharge, then teleported the rest of the way. He was exhausted. The night before and everything that had happened that morning felt like a whirlwind of feelings and all he wanted to do was eat something and go to sleep. 

Before he could do anything, though, he needed to text Edge and call his brother back.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to meet the bros!
> 
> Okay, guys, so this one gets a bit heavy. Detailed warnings in the end notes, but be warned that it deals with Stretch's inner thoughts and how he thinks people feel about him.
> 
> I have no real idea how to separate Underswap and Underfell Alphys and Undyne, so Underfell Undyne is now Dyne and Underfell Alphys is now Doc. The Swaps will keep their original names. They're not going to be big characters in this, mostly just talked about. I still haven't decided if any of the original Tale peeps will show their marvelous faces, but I guess we'll see.

The kitchen was spotless. It had been for the past three hours and there was no dirt or grime on any surface, but Blue was worried. When he was worried, he cleaned. It was his coping mechanism. He scrubbed the counter harder, determined to get every last germ and molecule of dirt. 

With a sigh, he pulled back and looked at his phone again. Still no response from Stretch. At first, he’d figured that his brother was only sleeping in later than usual, but then he’d done the stupid thing and used the app that allowed him to see where his friends were.

It showed his brother in the fell-verse part of town. Okay, not terrible. His brother was an adult, able to make his own decisions. But after an hour and the dot hadn’t so much as shifted a pixel, he’d checked the actual address and found that it was a bar. What was his brother doing at a bar at this hour?

His already-stressed mind took him to places he really didn’t want to be. He knew Stretch had wanted to get out of the house the night before, so maybe he’d gone to the bar then. He was still in a bad emotional state after the breakup, and maybe he’d wanted a taste of danger. Papy might be an adult, but that was taking it a little too far. Especially since he wasn’t calling Blue back and he could very well have been taken by someone with nefarious plans and tied up and hurt or worse and...and…

Blue took a deep breath and let it out slowly, leaning against the counter to try to gather himself. Stretch was okay. He was sad and making stupid decisions, but he was okay. 

But how could he really be okay if he couldn’t call his brother back?

He was so close to gathering his things and going down to the bar himself to start investigating when his phone rang. The instant relief when he saw Stretch’s face on the screen made his knees give out. He sat on the kitchen floor and answered.

“Papy! Are you okay? Where were you? What happened? Did someone hurt you?”

Stretch laughed on the other end, making Blue frown. “nah, bro, i’m fine. i was just an idiot last night and left my phone at the bar. sorry.” 

“How did you get home? Please tell me you didn’t try to teleport when you were drunk?” Blue wiped his face with a hand, worried for all the possibilities of what could have happened to his brother.

“heh. see, now that’s an amusing story. i, uh, didn’t come home last night.”

Both skeletons were silent for a moment as Blue processed what he’d just heard. 

“But that’s a fell-verse bar,” Blue said dumbly. 

“yeah, i know.”

“Did you meet another tale-verse monster there?”

“not exactly. met another skeleton, though.”

Blue closed his eyes. “Brother...”

“don’t get all preachy on me, bro,” Stretch warned, “don’t forget i’m your  _ older  _ brother and i can take care of myself.”

“By leaving your phone where you can’t call for help if you need to?!” Blue shrieked. “Papy, they’re dangerous monsters. I know you know that!  _ You  _ taught me to stay away from them; how can you be so careless with your own safety when you know how badly it would hurt me to lose you?”

“he didn’t hurt me,” Stretch said, entirely too carefree. “in fact, we’re meeting for coffee sometime next weekend.”

Blue grumbled. “Fantastic. How can you do this to yourself, Brother? Chad was--”

“chad was a horrible excuse for a monster,” Stretch interrupted. “edge is different. besides, it’s not like we’re gonna start dating. we’re just meeting so we can learn more about each other. he’s not what i thought fell-verse monsters were supposed to be. trust me, bro.”

“Fine. But if you end up meeting with him more than once, you are dating and I demand to meet him.”

Stretch laughed. “i don’t think he’ll be intimidated, but okay i guess.”

“I don’t intend to intimidate anyone. Is it so bad that I just want to know who my brother is dating?” He purposefully pitched his voice to sound as innocent as possible. 

“no, i guess not. but what if we’re just friends and want to hang out more than once? does that still mean we’re dating? cuz if that’s the case, then i think you and alphys need to have a talk.”

Blue flustered, not sure what to say to that. “Alphys is already dating Undyne!” he blurted. 

Stretch snickered. “and polyamory is a thing. just sayin’.” Blue could hear the shrug in his voice.

“Okay, fine, your point is taken. I would still like to meet him if you continue to spend time with him.” He took a breath and changed the subject before Stretch could get another word in. “Would you like to come over for dinner? I haven’t made a plan yet, so you can even put in a request if you like.”

“sounds great, bro. i want some of your famous taco casserole.”

Blue smiled. “I can certainly manage that. Come by around six. I’m glad you’re okay, Brother. I love you.”

“love you, too, bro. see you in a bit.”

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Blue continued to sit on the kitchen floor for a second, staring down at his phone and trying not to cry. His brother had been through so much, had been brainwashed by a horrible person for so long. He was worried he just fell right back into it without realizing it. 

Stars, he hoped he was wrong. For his brother, he would give this new person a chance, but only one. At the very first sign of manipulation, Blue was going to make damn sure the fell-verse skeleton never saw his brother again.

With a sniffle and a sigh, Blue got up and looked around. He had four hours to prepare for his brother’s arrival. 

* * *

Edge was in the kitchen preparing dinner when he heard the door open. His brother had already sent a warning text that he was coming by, but he honestly hadn’t expected him to be there so soon. He put the pan down and wiped his hands on his apron before going to check it out.

Red stood in the doorway taking off his shoes.

“hey bro,” he muttered. “whatcha cookin’?”

“Chicken curry. What are you doing here?” He crossed his arms over his chest and watched his brother take off his coat and hang it in the closet. He’d learned quickly that a jacket left on the floor got him a slap to the back of the head and the possibility of no dinner if he didn’t pick it up in a hurry.

“i said i was comin’ by, didn’t i? i know you got my text.” Red stood in front of Edge, his hands in the pockets of his dark jeans and looking up at him with an equally dark grin.

Well shit. Whatever was up it was probably something Edge didn’t want to hear.

“Yes, I did. You’re not usually so prompt.” Edge turned on his heel and went back to the kitchen with his brother hot on his heels. 

“yeah, but see i got an interesting call last night. somethin’ i wanna talk to you about.”

Edge did his best not to bristle. Instead, he turned his attention to the meal he was preparing. “Is that so?”

“yep. dyne called me. said you left her alone at the bar.”

Shit. How many mistakes had he made last night? One was already too many, and now this? Dyne was tough and usually had no trouble holding her own in any fight, but nobody liked the odds against a bunch of drunken assholes.  Nobody went to places like that without someone to back them up if a fight were to break out. 

Edge sighed and turned to look at Red. “Yes, I did. It wasn’t intentional--”

“spare me the apologetic bullshit. we both know you left her to fuck a sweet piece of tale-verse ass and nobody’s blamin’ you for that. thing is, you didn’t tell her you were leaving or who you were leaving with. she actually got worried about you, ya fucker. asked me to come check on ya.”

Edge turned back to the stove quickly, hoping Red couldn't see the blush that spread across his cheekbones. There was no telling what scene Red happened upon last night.

“yeah, that was not fun. i mean, it was probably fun for you, but i feel like i need to bleach my sockets. i went back to the bar and hung out with her for a while and thought i’d come check on ya this morning.”

“This  _ morning _ ? You realize it’s nearly five in the evening, don’t you?”

“you realize i was up with dyne all night, don’t you?” Red leaned back, putting his feet up on the table while Edge still had his back turned. “morning is whenever the fuck i wake up.”

Of course it was. “Have you eaten yet?”

“you shittin’ me? i knew you’d be cookin’ something, so no. you gonna share?”

“If you get your feet off my table and never do that again, I might consider it.”

Red snickered and put his feet down. “sure, whatever you say.”

After they’d eaten and Edge had forced Red to help clean up, they went to the living room where Red began to set up the gaming console. He handed Edge a controller and took his own to sit on the opposite end of the couch.

“Why do you do this to me?” Edge asked as the game began. He hated this one. Despite his skills in combat--both hand-to-hand and with various weapons--the controller made things difficult and he rarely got a kill in.

“cuz you’re my bro and i love you.” 

Within the first ten minutes, Red had killed Edge’s character twice. Edge merely sighed in exasperation as the game restarted again. 

“You hate me. I can see it in your evil little eye lights and the way you never let me live past this fucking building.” He swore when he turned a corner and Red shot him with a cannon. “That one, right there. You fucking asshole.”

“why, yes i am. thanks for noticing. so, how’d it go this morning?”

Edge gave Red a side glance. “What do you mean?”

“i mean i know you, bro.” He watched as Edge’s character rounded the corner shyly, gun at the ready. He chuckled at the shocked expression on his face when Red wasn’t there. He had another plan. “you brought home a tale-verse monster. you probably fed him this morning and everything. how’d he take it? or she?”

“Better than expected.” Edge warily entered the next building and crept along the wall toward the laboratory. “Right up until I told him about the mark.” 

“you didn’t tell him last night? what the fuck, edge?”

He set the controller down on his lap and looked over at his brother. “I’m already fully aware of how badly I fucked up. You don’t need to rub it in my face.”

“what did he do?”

Edge decided to skip the full story and just get down to the nitty gritty. “At first he was understandably furious. After realizing that it was not my intention to lie to him and that it was not a permanent mark, he decided to allow me a chance to make it up to him. He wants me to explain marks to him over coffee next weekend.”

Red stared blankly for a few seconds. “that’s it?”

“For now. I honestly don’t know what else he might want from me, but I was very clear when I told him I accepted that it was under certain conditions. He said he agreed, so that’s where we are.”

Red’s eye lights darkened. “be careful, bro. he might be tale-verse, but that don’t mean he’s all innocent and cuddly.”

Edge picked up the controller and slipped into the laboratory where Red was waiting for him. Red was still looking at him, and he used his advantage to fire off a killing shot. He smirked over at Red. 

“I’m aware.” He hesitated a moment, frowning. “He’s been through something, Red. Someone has hurt him, and I can only imagine what it must have been like for him to hear that he’d been marked by a stranger after what he’s had to deal with. I don’t blame him for limiting his trust in me.”

Red nodded and restarted the game. He decided he’d have to get this monster’s info and do a little research. 

* * *

Stretch yawned and shook himself as he entered his brother’s house. The place already smelled divine and his mouth watered with anticipation of one of his favorite meals.

Blue all but bounced into the room and pulled Stretch into a tight hug. He hugged back, savoring the kind of affection that would never run out, would never require a sacrifice or be subjected to conditions. His brother’s love was something he could always count on, no matter how badly he fucked up. 

“hey bro,” he said softly, giving a last squeeze before letting go. 

“I hope you’re hungry, Brother,” Blue said happily. “Dinner is nearly done. Come sit down.”

Stretch followed his brother to the kitchen and sat down at the table. It had already been set, and he watched as his brother pulled the hot pan from the oven. Something about watching his brother now reminded him of Edge that morning. He really wanted to believe that Edge was telling the truth about the mark, but a thought kept creeping back through his skull. 

Edge had washed his clothes, let him sleep in his bed until he woke up on his own, and fed him breakfast. None of those things were typical of what should have been a one night stand. The mark might be temporary, but that didn’t mean Edge didn’t have plans to make it permanent when he got the chance.

“Are you okay, Papy?” Blue asked as he set the pan down and began to dish their plates. “Something seems off.”

Stretch smiled as best he could. “i’m okay, bro. just thinking.” He picked up his fork. “damn this smells good. thanks.”

He could feel Blue watching him as they ate. It was a little uncomfortable, but he really couldn’t blame him for feeling overprotective so he let it slide. After dinner, Blue told him to go pick a movie while he cleaned up. He wasn’t sure what he was in the mood for, so he just grabbed a random comedy and figured it would at least pass the time until he could reasonably go home and to bed. The movie didn’t matter; the time with his brother did.

Throughout the movie, Stretch felt Blue’s eyes on him again. He looked over only to see Blue giving him a strange look, his brows furrowed and his mouth turned down in a rare frown.

“blue? you okay?”

Suddenly, Blue gasped. “Papy! Is that...Oh, stars, please tell me that’s not what I think it is!”

Stretch looked down at himself, not sure what his brother was seeing. “what?” 

“He marked you!”

Aw, fuck. He had really hoped it was only something fell-verse monsters would be able to pick up on. This complicated shit way more than necessary.

“calm down, bro, i’m--”

“Calm down? My brother has been marked by a fell-verse monster and you want me to calm down?” Blue stood up, raising his hands to his sides as he yelled. “And why didn’t you tell me? If you’re okay and nothing’s wrong with this, why did you try to hide it from me?”

Shame crawled up his spine. He should have said something, but he knew exactly how his brother would react. “i’m sorry i didn’t tell you, blue. it’s really not that bad, though. i mean--”

“How the hell is this not that bad? And you agreed to meet with him again!” 

Stretch watched helplessly as Blue began to pace in front of him, angry and hurt tears building in his sockets. 

“I know you’re not stupid, Papy, so please tell me how you could do this to yourself after what you went through with Chad? How can you think that this is okay? I’m really curious to know what the hell is going on in your head right now.”

He stopped pacing and stared at Stretch with his arms folded in front of him. The weight of his scrutiny made Stretch shrink into himself. He had no answers for his brother, and despite what he’d said, he felt truly stupid. Instead of saying anything, he just shrugged and pulled his knees up to his chest, hugging his legs.

“Don’t you close up on me right now, Papy. After everything I did to help you get away from that bastard, I deserve to know why you’re doing this to yourself again.”

Stretch nodded. He had done so much to help Stretch after the breakup. He’d let him stay in the guest bedroom until he felt secure enough to live on his own again. He’d been there through so many panic attacks and breakdowns that he’d lost count, and he’d never once put any blame on him or made him feel like he was worthless. 

In a strange way, it was almost a relief to know his brother had a limit. He’d worried countless times about taking advantage of his brother’s love. 

“Say something!” Blue threw his arms up in exasperation, shouting the words. “For hell’s sake, Papy, just say something! Did you like the way he took advantage of you and called you horrible names in front of your friends and family members? Did you like how he stripped you of your self-confidence and made you feel ugly all the time? Is that what you’re looking for? Because that’s what you’re heading back to if you continue this, and I can’t...I can’t watch my brother go through that again.”

Stretch hugged his legs tighter and told himself he had no right to cry. Of course he didn’t like any of those things, but he sure as hell wanted to believe that someone could love him. Even if it was only for a night, Edge had made him feel loved. 

“i’m sorry, blue,” he whispered, only loud enough for Blue to hear it over the movie still playing in the background. “i’m sorry i keep doing this to you.”

With that, he teleported back home. His soul felt like it might shatter. He clutched at his chest as he curled up in bed and pressed his face tightly to his pillow. Sucking in ragged breaths, he wept for everything he knew he’d lost that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Blue overreacts to Stretch having been marked. Stretch feels like Blue's reaction means he won't love him anymore, that he's lost his brother's support. 
> 
> Don't be too hard on Blue. He's really worried about his brother, and he doesn't have any first-hand experience with fell-verse monsters. All he has to go on is what society has taught him, and none of that is good.
> 
> Oh, and by the by, I blame Keelywolfe entirely for Edge being the cook that he is. I headcannon this so fucking hard, you have no idea.
> 
> Another by the way - I am not a gamer. I play like two games. Undertale is one of them. I've watched the kiddo play Delta Rune. Anyhow, not the point. The point is that the game Edge and Red are playing is made up based on my limited knowledge of shoot-em-up games. So yeah. Do with that what you will.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m updating this chapter on my phone while on lunch at work. Please excuse any errors. 
> 
> I’ll reply to comments later tonight but thank you guys so much for all your kind words. I love how much you all care about Stretch. This boy totally needs a hug and he might just get it soon.

**_Stretch_ ** _ : can’t come today. sry. _

Edge stared at the text for a few long minutes before he sighed. He was already at the coffee shop waiting in line. He stepped aside and walked out the door. Standing on the curb, he texted back.

**_Edge_ ** _ : You couldn’t have let me know sooner? _

He waited ten minutes with no reply. Annoyed, he tried to call but was immediately sent to voicemail. The mailbox was full so he couldn't even say anything. Something felt wrong. This was wrong. He sent another text.

**_Edge_ ** _ : Are you okay? _

Still no reply. After another fifteen minutes had passed, he called another number.

“‘sup, bro?” Red answered. “thought you was meetin’ with your sweet-cheeks today.”

“He’s not coming.” Edge didn’t like this at all. He tried to tell himself that he didn’t know Stretch very well and this could simply be something he did often, but that didn’t feel right. His intuition had never failed him before, and right now it was telling him that something was deeply wrong.

“and?”

“And I need you to give me his address.”

Red snorted. “what makes you think i know--”   


“Because I know you, Brother. I know the moment you left my house a week ago you did your research. You know I wouldn’t ask you for this if I didn’t feel it was important.” Edge was getting impatient. 

Red grumbled on the other line. Edge took a deep breath and glared at other monsters passing by, giving him a wide berth thanks to his fell-verse nature. He clenched and unclenched his jaw a few times as he heard papers rustling over the phone.

“alright. i’ll give it to ya, but you gotta promise me somethin’ first.” 

Edge closed his eyes. “What do you want.”

“i mean this, bro. you know i don’t take promises lightly.” His tone gave off the seriousness of the situation.

For someone as fucked up as his brother was, he did hold promises to an excruciatingly high standard. “Tell me what it is before I make any commitments.” 

“you gotta promise me you’ll make a roast with mashed potatoes and all the fixin’s.”

“Are you fucking serious?” Edge looked around, noticing others glaring at him for his language. He glared back.

“yep.”

“What else do you want, you perpetually hungry little goblin?”

Red laughed. “maybe a nice single malt?”

“Fuck you. The roast I can do, but you get your own damn alcohol. Now give me the damn address.”

“you didn’t promise.” Red sounded like he was lounging back in his chair, probably with his feet up on his desk like the heathen he was.

Edge sighed, running out of patience too quickly. “I promise I will make you a roast with mashed potatoes and everything else. I do not promise to get you any alcohol, single malt or otherwise. Are you happy now, asshole?”

“yeah, i guess.”

Red grunted like he was sitting back up and read off the address. Edge nodded, looking around at where he was now and making a plan of how to get there quickest.

After hanging up, he debated for a few minutes whether he should text Stretch to let him know he was coming. He decided against it. For whatever reason, he felt like that might give him an opportunity to either get away or put on a show to convince him everything was okay. He didn’t want either outcome. Instead, he got back on his bike and started on his way down the street.

* * *

 

Stretch laid in his bed staring at the ceiling. He felt numb. It was nice. How long had he been laying there? He couldn’t remember. It didn’t matter.

He cringed when his phone began to ring again. Instead of looking, he closed his eyes and silently begged the ringing to stop. Every time it rang or chimed with a text, or every time there was a sad but desperate knock on the door, every ounce of pain came back. 

Blue had tried to call him twice the night he left after their argument, and exactly three times a day since then. He’d left message after message, sent text after text, and Stretch still couldn’t find the courage to look at a single one. Deep in his soul, he already knew what they were going to say. He’d lost his brother that night, and he really didn’t care to see or hear any of the evidence. 

Undoubtedly, a few of those calls and texts were from work. They’d ask him why he hadn’t shown up or called in. They’d say they were thinking about him, maybe worried, but it was all a show. Nobody fucking cared about him. His job only pretended because they’d have to hire someone new if he never came back and that was more expensive than keeping him on.

The only time he’d actually looked at his phone was when a different-sounding notification dinged telling him that it was time to meet with Edge. Had it been a week already? Days really seemed to blur together when all you did was sleep.

He had carefully navigated his apps to send a message to Edge telling him he couldn't make it. A chime had indicated Edge had replied, but he didn’t dare look. Either Edge was mad at him or he’d forgotten altogether. Either option hurt too much to think it. 

And so he laid there, trying to get that numbness back and just feel nothing for a while longer. It was so much better than all the pain he had no right to feel. Everything was his own damn fault. How could he justify hurting like this when it was a pattern he’d repeated so many fucking times?

A hard knock on the front door made him jolt. He blinked a few times and looked over at his bedroom door. He could see out to the living room, but not the actual door. 

It wasn’t the same as his brother’s knock. This was more pounding and less tapping. Fuck it. Whoever it was would leave soon enough. 

Another knock, this time followed by the doorbell. 

Nope. He wasn’t getting out of this bed ever again. He was close enough to becoming one with it as it was.

His brow furrowed when he heard a strange rattle like someone was trying the handle. He knew he’d locked it because Blue had tried to get in before. It was pure luck that Stretch hadn’t gotten around to getting him a key yet.

And yet, somehow, the door opened. How the hell…?

“Stretch?”

What the fuck?! Shock alone caused him to sit up. “edge?”

His soul backflipped when Edge came into view. He was wearing that leather jacket again along with dark blue jeans and his motorcycle boots. Whoever decided he could be that sexy should be shot. Or given an award, because fuck.

“what the hell are you doing here? how did you even know where i am?” A cold trickle of fear ran down his spine. How the hell  _ did  _ he know?

“My brother has connections in intelligence. I got your address from him because I was worried.” He looked around the room and grimaced at all the garbage and dirty laundry strewn about. “Are you okay?”

Stretch let himself sink back down onto the mattress, his arms spread to either side. He didn’t know what to think now. Instead of providing a real answer, he just shrugged and stared back up at the ceiling.

“How long have these been here?” 

Stretch looked over to see him toeing a pile of dirty plates. “dunno.”

He looked up to see Edge staring at him, his eyes grazing over his body. He realized a moment too late that he was only wearing a pair of neon green boxers. Oh, well. It wasn’t like Edge hadn’t seen him naked before.

Edge swallowed and averted his eyes, meeting Stretch’s eye lights. “Did something happen?”

He shrugged again, this time turning his head to look at the wall. He couldn’t fathom why Edge even cared to begin with.  He forced himself to keep his head turned when he felt the bed depress beside him. Edge laid a gentle hand on his arm, and he closed his eyes tightly.

“Please look at me,” Edge pleaded.

Stretch did, a strange emotion filling his soul and making him feel choked up. He swallowed a few times to try to get rid of it.

“Tell me what happened. Did someone hurt you?” He began to rub Stretch’s arm lightly.

He couldn’t help it. Everything that had happened with Blue came flooding back and he began to cry. He tried to turn away, to avoid this new humiliation, but Edge caught him.  He laid down next to Stretch and pulled him in close, shushing him gently and petting his skull and back as he cried. He gripped Edge’s jacket hard in his fists, pressing his face into the soft t-shirt he wore under it. 

Edge waited until Stretch had cried himself out. When there were no more tears, he leaned in and pressed a comforting kiss to his skull. 

“Please tell me who hurt you.” He was going to have some new LV soon and that was a fact.

Stretch hiccuped a few times before pulling back just enough to shake his head. 

“nobody hurt me. it’s my own fault.”

Edge’s arms tightened around him. “I don’t believe that for a damn second. It’s never your fault if someone hurts you.”

“you don’t get it.” He didn’t want to move. He wanted to stay here, wrapped up in Edge, but his brother’s warnings kept ringing in his head. But, dammit, he felt...he felt like Edge cared. Couldn’t he keep this? What was so wrong with him that he couldn’t even have this little moment of serenity?

“Then explain it to me.”

He looked up at Edge then, meeting his eye lights. They were glaring red, but soft in a way, warm and protective. Against his better judgement, Stretch leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. Edge’s arms tightened and he kissed back, so gentle.  

Edge pulled back first and leaned his forehead against Stretch’s. “Please?”

Stretch nodded and closed his eyes, then began to explain what had happened between him and his brother that night. He skipped over some details, only giving him enough to understand why his brother hated him now.

“Your brother doesn’t hate you,” Edge said, tenderly yet with conviction. 

“yes he does.”

“Have you listened to any of those voicemails or read any of the texts he’s sent?”

Stretch pulled back, his brow furrowed. “how do you know about those?”

Edge shrugged. “I can imagine how I might react if something similar were to happen between my brother and me. Your voicemail box is full, which I think I can safely assume means he’s left you plenty of messages, and I very highly doubt he wouldn’t text.”

“no, i haven’t listened to or looked at any of them yet.”

“You should.”

“i can’t.” Stretch shook his head and let himself shrink back into Edge’s embrace. 

“Will you let me help you?”

“why?”

“Because this is important to you.” He pressed another kiss to Stretch’s head. “You’re in pain because of me and I want to help make it better.” 

“i mean, why do you care?” He felt like too much hinged on Edge’s answer and he might get sick if it wasn’t what he wanted to hear. How did he keep putting himself in this position?

“I know what you think of us fell-verse monsters, Stretch. Despite everything that’s said about us, we do have feelings and real souls that can make real connections. I felt a connection with you the night we slept together. I’m not under any illusions here, okay? I know what’s between us now is nothing more than friendship. But even as a friend, I care about you.”

“you felt a connection because you marked me.” His hard tone notwithstanding, Stretch couldn’t make himself pull away.

Edge winced. He should have expected that. “You won’t understand this and I don’t expect you to believe me, but what I felt was different from marking. Will you let me help you or not?”

And there it was. The ultimatum. Choose to let Edge help him and force him through things faster than he was capable of handling, or choose to say no and lose his support. Neither were options he wanted. He couldn’t choose. He just couldn’t. 

And yet, he knew if he didn’t make a decision on his own, Edge would make it for him. 

He felt like he was spinning out of control, dizzy even though he was laying down. As hard as he tried to suck in air, there was no relief from the suffocation that surrounded him, pulling him under an imaginary ocean to let him drown.

“Stretch?”

His eyes shot open and he gasped in air. Too quickly. Too much, all at once, and then it was gone. No relief. What the hell was happening to him?

“Stretch, it’s okay. Breathe with me.”

Hard hands cupped his face and he found himself staring into crimson eye lights, pin pricks of determination. 

“Breathe with me, Stretch. You’re going to be okay. This is going to pass, and you’ll be alright. Just breathe. In and out, slowly. That’s it. You’re doing so well. Keep breathing.”

Stars, he was weak. So weak and stupid and--

“Shut up.”

Edge’s dark tone made him look up. His breathing was still erratic, but at least he could feel some relief from it. Edge’s face was hard as stone, a frown pulling his mouth down.

“You’re neither weak nor stupid. Don’t say that about yourself.” Edge’s hands trailed gently down to his shoulders. “You survived an obviously abusive situation. You’re much stronger than you think you are. Abusers manipulate and say things to get you to rely on them. That doesn’t make you stupid; it makes them bad people.”

Stretch sniffled and nodded. His brother had said something similar. The thought of Blue sent another shooting pain through his soul.

“You don’t need to make a decision right now,” Edge said softly, “about whether or not you’ll allow me to help you sift through your brother’s messages. For now, will you let me make you something to eat?”

The idea of food made Stretch want to vomit. He shook his head. “can’t eat.”

“How about I help you straighten up your room then?”

Ugh. “too much work.”

Edge frowned again. “Okay. How long has it been since you last showered?”

Stretch thought about that for a moment. “few days?”

“Since you left your brother’s, I assume?”

He nodded guiltily. Stars, he was disgusting.

“Can I run you a bath?”

He grimaced. “i don’t like baths.” He always felt he was one slip from drowning. No thank you.

“A shower then? I swear I’m not trying to get you naked.”

Stretch laughed at the unexpected humor in Edge’s voice. “a shower actually sounds nice.”

“Okay then, a shower it is. Come on.”  Edge got up and held out a hand, helping Stretch get up.  He was shaky on his feet, and Edge kept a hand on his arm to help steady him as he showed the way to the bathroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! The only thing I’m gonna say is that these boys will not be showering together next chapter. Sad face. 
> 
> Soon tho!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before we get started, please read this.
> 
> So, I had a few different ideas regarding the world and history that this story is in. I haven't made it very clear that they're above ground mainly because I wasn't sure it was going to stay that way. It will. They are not underground. They're also not actually different versions of each other, either. Like, what? I know. Just go with it. If I had decided on this before I started posting, they wouldn't be called fell- and tale-verse monsters, but now I kinda feel stuck with it. 
> 
> This chapter was supposed to be where Blue and Edge meet and Stretch deals with shit, but it was stressing me out so have this instead. We get to see Edge's perspective on their history in this chapter.

“I’ll wait right outside the door,” Edge said after handing Stretch a clean towel.

Stretch nodded and shut the door. Edge listened for the water to start, satisfied when he heard the distinct sounds of bone against the plastic of the bathtub and ceramic tiles. While he waited, he took a few steps down the hall so he could look around the living room. 

The place was small, but from what he gathered Stretch lived here alone. No need for anything extravagant. The one window in the room was covered by a thin curtain that didn’t block much out. Through it, Edge could see how the blinds had been tortured, one end of the bottom much higher than the other and a few slats had broken ends.

He couldn’t see much of the kitchen from where he was standing, but what he could see was filthy. The part of the counter he could see was piled with dirty bowls with spoons sticking out and what was probably garbage littered around. It seemed Stretch and his brother had taken housecleaning lessons from the same person.

Edge knew the state of the apartment was only adding to Stretch’s depression. A clean home certainly wouldn’t cure him, but it would help lift some of the burden. He nodded to himself, making a plan as Stretch finished showering.

The water cut off, and Edge went back to the door. He waited, listening to the sounds of Stretch drying off and trying not to imagine those long, delicate bones glistening with moisture. The door opened and he had to suppress the urge to stare, because whatever he might have imagined couldn’t have come close to the beauty of the real thing. 

Stretch had wrapped his hips in the towel, but otherwise he was bare. He gave Edge a soft smile and walked past him, going back to his bedroom.

Edge followed, keeping his eyes squarely on Stretch’s shoulders. This might prove harder than he thought. Even his scapulae were elegantly pretty. Edge wanted to touch them, feel the smooth, unmarked texture beneath his fingertips. 

“shit,” Stretch muttered.

The curse brought Edge back to reality. “What is it?”

“don’t really have much clean. uh, can you hand me a shirt?” He gestured to the closet.

What Stretch referred to as a closet was actually a disaster. Clothes that had probably been clean to begin with and just fallen off the hangers prevented the sliding doors from closing all the way. Inside, boxes were stacked on the floor and a few on the top shelf. What shirts remained on the hangers dangled lopsided and wrinkled. Not a single one was of a sensible color. A few were a ghastly shade of orange, another the same neon green of his boxers from earlier, and yet another was the ugliest shade of shit brown Edge had ever laid eyes on.

Without thinking too much about it, he reached in and grabbed a shirt. Sadly, it was the brown one. Stretch laughed when he took it and tugged it on.

“good choice. matches how i feel.”

Edge frowned. On the front was the shit emoji, smiling like it had any right to exist in the first place. His brother had a certain fondness for that emoji. Edge hated it. It was disgusting.

“I didn’t realize what was on the front of it.”

Stretch shrugged and dug through the dresser in front of him for a pair of pants. What he pulled out was light blue and patterned with stars. Edge closed his eyes and prayed Stretch picked something different, regardless of his apparent lack of clean clothing.

“you mind stepping out for a sec?” he asked. “i mean, i know you’ve seen me naked and all, but--”

“No need to explain,” Edge interrupted. “I’ll be in the living room.”

He shut the door behind him and added laundry to his list of things he was going to do help Stretch feel a little more secure in his mental health. It would be a dual benefit; Stretch would have clean clothes and Edge wouldn’t have to see him wearing the atrocity that was that outfit ever again. 

The bedroom door opened, and Edge looked over. As dismal as the clothing may be, the skeleton under it was still gorgeous. 

“Do you feel any better?” Edge asked. He took a step closer, wishing he could hold Stretch in his arms just a moment more. 

Stretch shrugged. “maybe.”

It was better than a no. “Would you be against me cleaning your kitchen?”

Stretch looked over at the mentioned room, and the obvious weight of what cleaning meant to him made him slouch. “i…” 

Edge stepped closer still. “I’m not asking you to help me clean it. I want to help you, Stretch.” He reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. “I want to do what I can to make things easier for you.”

He looked up, meeting Edge’s eye lights, and the clear pain in his made Edge’s soul ache.

“If this is too much right now, please tell me.”

“i just don’t know what to say.” 

He inched closer, leaning in to Edge, and Edge took a chance. He started by wrapping an arm around his shoulders. When he leaned in further, he pulled him in and hugged him tightly with both arms. He closed his eyes when he felt Stretch’s arms wrap around him in a light hold. 

“what would i even do while you clean? i can’t just lay down and be a slug while you’re working your ass off.”

Edge smirked. “You can. My brother is living proof of that.”

Stretch huffed a laugh. “why do you want to help me, edge?”

“I told you. I care about you.” He hugged a little tighter. “And I know that this is at least partially my fault. If I had warned you about the mark before we had sex, you could have avoided that whole conversation with your brother and you wouldn’t be here feeling like your life is falling apart.”

“it’s not your fault, edge.” Stretch snuggled a little deeper into his embrace. “i made my own choices.”

“You do realize that you’re completely ignoring the fact that you didn’t know anything about the mark, right? Had you known, would you still have slept with me?” 

Stretch shrugged. “probably not.”

He nodded. He had expected that answer. “So you see, this can’t be your fault. It’s mine. I can’t apologize enough for what I did, but I can try to help you cope with the fallout.”

A long moment of silence followed as Edge waited for Stretch to process what had been said. He made no movement to pull away, and so Edge gladly continued to hold him, standing in the middle of the living room. 

Stretch sucked in a breath that quickly turned into a yawn. “i think i want to take a nap. if you really want to stay here and clean my kitchen, i won’t stop you.”

Edge reluctantly let him go when he pulled away. “Thank you. Sleep well.” He thought of something and reached out to grab Stretch’s arm before he could get too far away. “Can I get the dishes out of your room first?”

Stretch smirked. “yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”

They went back to the bedroom together and Edge began to gather the dishes. He tried to ignore Stretch’s guilty expression as he laid down and pulled a lumpy blanket over himself. He wanted to say something, but he wasn’t sure what might help or what might make it worse. Instead, he offered a smile before he shut the door behind him, carrying what was probably a full sink load of dishes out to the kitchen.

After setting everything down, Edge went to the living room to remove his jacket and lay it lovingly over the back of the couch. He wasn’t sure where the coat closet was, and he wasn’t about to go snooping for it. He stepped out of his boots and set them to the side against the couch. 

Back in the kitchen, he took a moment to look at what he was working with, making a plan of action. He nodded to himself and looked around for a moment, finding the dish soap, a few dish towels, and other things he’d need. With everything in order, he began to work.

* * *

 

Many times through Edge’s life, he’d found himself wishing he could go back in time and see what life was like before the war. He wanted to know what the tale-verse monsters were like before they’d been subjected to famine and oppression. 

It was a silly dream and he rarely entertained thoughts of it, but now he couldn’t help but wonder what Stretch might have been like had his ancestors’ history been different. 

He remembered learning about the war and how fell-verse monsters had come to the rescue and driven out the humans. He’d been taught that his ancestors had been heroes, showing up like white knights to defeat the enemy and help the tale-verse community get back on its feet. 

For so much of his short childhood, he’d held onto the belief that fell-verse monsters were good, they were heroes, and their goal in life was to be kind and help as many people as they could. He’d dreamed of being like those white knights and helping everyone in need. 

He’ll never forget the moment he learned that not all he believed was true. 

He and his brother were at the store. He was maybe seven years old, Red only fourteen himself but still Edge’s sole caretaker. There had been an argument. A tale-verse mother with two small children was trying to buy bread and a fell-verse monster nearly twice her size was giving her trouble. He had said disturbing things about what would have been required of her just after the war. He said he wished it was still that way and made a horrific gesture. 

Even Edge knew what that had meant and had tried to step forward to help the young mother, but Red stopped him. 

“He might hurt her!” Edge cried out as Red all but dragged him out of the store. They hadn’t paid for their groceries. “Wait! Brother! We can’t—“

“will you shut up?” Red growled. “we can’t get caught, alright? just...shut up and trust me.”

He did trust Red. Doing his best to ignore the gnawing pit in his bones, he followed Red silently back home. 

Red had sat him down that day and explained what their history had really been like. After the war, the tale-verse monsters celebrated and offered the fell-verse monsters what they could in return for their help. The fell-verse captains had been appalled by what had been offered and refused the meager scraps of food and clothing. Instead, they had said they wanted pretty monsters for wives and young, able bodied monsters to help build houses. 

Edge had tried so hard to believe that those monsters went willingly, but Red had corrected him. 

“bro...i know how bad you want us to be the good guys, but it just wasn’t like that. nobody wanted to go off with monsters they didn’t know and moms and dads didn’t wanna let ‘em. they didn’t have a choice. after a while, our side started takin’ ‘em off the streets ‘n’ markin’ ‘em permanently so no one else could have ‘em. the others that went to build houses? they were basically slaves. we weren’t much better to ‘em than the humans had been.”

Edge had been silent for a long, long while. He needed to process this information. It wasn’t until dinner that he finally said anything. 

“Red? All that stuff you said earlier...does that mean I have to be bad like them? Do I have to be like that guy in the store?”

Red had smiled sadly as he turned from the stove, the pink and white apron Edge had gotten for him tied around his front. He knelt in front of Edge and put a hand on his shoulder. 

“‘course not, bro. you can be anything you wanna be. you still wanna be a hero don’tcha?”

Edge nodded. 

“then you can be a hero. ain’t no one gonna stop you.”

From that moment forward, he swore he would be better than his history. 

He’d paid attention to his surroundings as he grew, no longer looking at life through rose-colored glasses. He saw the people for what they were and he stepped up when he found injustices happening. 

Red had tried to tell him not to be stupid, but he saw no stupidity in what he was doing. Red had taught him how to defend himself and fight back, and even when the fight wasn’t fair his brother was there to make damn sure anyone who hurt him paid the consequences. 

He volunteered all his extra time at different charities. One of his favorites was often working with displaced families. Their gratitude was most often genuine, and he had the opportunity to change many tale-verse minds about his kind. The best and worst was working with children from abusive families. He lived for the moment a kid would start to trust him and give him their first smile. All the same, knowing someone had hurt them and not being able to do jack shit about it ate at him every day.

He’d enlisted in the police academy the moment he was old enough, desperate to have a reason to fight the injustices in his world. There, he met Dyne and had felt an instant connection with her. She was one of a surprisingly large number of fell-verse monsters who shared his mentality that they could be better, although her reasons were different. 

As a child, her parents had been killed in a drug deal gone wrong. She’d witnessed the whole thing and had to testify against those who had murdered her family. After the affair was over, she’d been placed in a foster to wait for adoption. The wait wasn’t long; she was soon adopted by a tale-verse family. She grew up seeing the effects of racism from both sides and wanted to do her part to close the gap between monsters. 

Edge sighed to himself and looked around the kitchen. All the dishes were done and put away to the best of Edge’s ability (he had to guess where most things went), the counters wiped, and the stove top cleaned. 

An hour and a half had passed and he hadn't heard anything from Stretch’s room aside from a few light snores. It probably wasn’t a great idea to let him sleep all day considering that was likely all he’d been doing for the last week. All the same, he saw no reason to wake him yet. 

He supposed he could wipe down the cupboards and see what cleaning the bathroom needed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to go into so much more detail about how and why the fell-verse monsters came to help out in the war and how it started and shit, but it got awkward real fast trying to do that all from Edge's flashback perspective, so I deleted it. I'll try to work it in later.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I finally managed to figure out a way for Blue and Edge to meet that won't give me ulcers. Not sure why it was fighting with me, but man...Guess we'll see what happens!

Stretch woke up feeling somewhat rested for the first time in days. He stretched out his bones until a few joints popped, then sat up on the edge of the bed. 

Man, he was thirsty. And hungry. When was the last time he ate anything decent? He couldn’t really remember. He could only recall going into the kitchen and getting discouraged by everything he’d have to do before he could cook anything. He’d look around in the cupboards for something that didn’t require any preparation only to decide he wasn’t hungry enough for that bullshit and go back in his room.

Thinking about food only made him hungrier.  Maybe he could go get something. If Edge was still here, maybe he’d still want to go down to that coffee shop. They had tasty treats.

What would he even say if Edge was still there, though? Yeah, he felt better, but...damn, he was confused. He sucked in a breath and stood up. 

Timidly, he opened the door and peeked out. Edge’s jacket and boots were by the couch, so he was still there. He crept silently out of his room and to the kitchen. His soul felt hollow as he looked around. It probably hadn’t been this clean since before he moved in. Even the exhaust hood above the stove had been cleaned of all its grease. 

Stretch turned when he heard a noise down the hall. He decided that creeping probably wasn’t the best of ideas. He really didn’t want to startle Edge again. Instead, he cleared his throat and made sure to bump his hand against the wall as he turned the corner.

“Stretch?” Edge poked his head out the bathroom door. “Oh, you’re awake. How are you feeling?”

Stretch shrugged. “a little better, maybe. hungry.”

Edge nodded and opened the door fully. Stretch had a hard time hiding a smile as he pulled off a pair of thick blue latex gloves that had to be a bit on the small side. Blue had bought them for himself for when he came over to help clean.

“Good. That’s good. Would you like me to make you something?”

Stretch thought about that for a long moment. 

While he waited, Edge cleaned up the supplies he’d brought into the bathroom with him and washed his hands.

“i don’t know what i have here,” Stretch finally replied.

“You have eggs, a couple of potatoes, some macaroni and cheese, and a few frozen dinners. Just so you’re aware, the milk was bad, the bread was moldy, and there were some vegetables that had begun to rot so I threw them out.”

Stretch frowned. Of course he’d wasted so much. With a deep sigh, he nodded and leaned against the wall. 

“Can you think of something you would like?”

Edge walked past him and into the kitchen to put the rest of the cleaning supplies away. Stretch followed him.

“dunno. some eggs, maybe, but then they’re best with toast and milk.” He shrugged and looked down at the nearly sparkling floor. Damn. Edge had been thorough.

“I could go to the store to get some bread and milk if you like.”

Stretch stared, dumbfounded.  Before he could even say anything, Edge continued.

“Or you could go. I could go with you if you want me to. If you’d rather be alone, I can go home. I’m just saying you have options.”

Leaving the house and going to the store sounded about as exhausting as a mountain climbing expedition. Too much prep work, danger at every turn, and he might not make it back alive.

The thought of being left here alone was terrifying. He was certain he’d fall right back into horrible thoughts. Edge had managed to help clear his head enough to let him have a little bit of hope; he didn’t want to lose that.

“ugh,” was all he could manage for a long few seconds. Finally, he added. “don’t leave yet. please?” 

Edge stepped in front of him and gently placed his hands on his shoulders. “If you want me to stay, I am more than happy to stay. But, you need to eat something. Will you settle for eggs and fried potatoes?”

Grudgingly, Stretch nodded. “can i at least help you cook?”

The surprise and pure joy in Edge’s eye lights made Stretch’s soul clench. “Of course. Wash your hands first, please.”

Meal preparation was never one of Stretch’s favorite things. It was a skill he’d learned only well enough to keep himself and his brother alive since their dad was away basically all the time. He was pretty certain that Blue had gotten so good at it simply because he was tired of eating the same old shit every damn day. All the same, cooking with Edge was an experience. He was more particular about how he cooked than Blue was, and yet he had more patience when Stretch inevitably fucked it up.

Soon enough, their food was done. Edge put more than half of the eggs onto Stretch’s plate despite his arguing that he wasn’t going to be able to eat that much. Edge didn’t waver, even giving him a larger helping of potatoes. 

They sat at the table together, and Stretch had to work to ignore the way Edge was watching him. After the first bite, however, everything but the food disappeared. 

“holy fuck! these are delicious!” 

Somewhere, he was pretty sure he heard Edge laugh. He didn’t care. He was too busy shoveling eggs into his mouth. He at least had the sense to make sure he didn’t choke or make himself sick.

After finishing everything on his plate, Stretch felt like he might burst. He’d gone through three glasses of water but got up to get another, taking Edge’s empty glass with him as he did. He set Edge’s glass back down in front of him before sprawling as much as he could in his chair. 

“that was really good, edge. thanks.”

“My pleasure. How are you feeling?”

Stretch sucked in a deep breath and shrugged. “better. boring answer, i know.”

“There’s nothing boring in getting better. What would you like to do now? Do you feel up to doing some laundry?”

“as long as i don’t have to sort shit, sure.” Sorting laundry was for the birds. Everything washed just fine whether it was with like colors or opposites. Unless it was red and brand new. That was a lesson he wasn’t about unlearn any time soon. 

Edge grimaced. “Then can  _ I _ sort them?”

He snickered. “knock yourself out. you sort them, then i’ll start the wash. sound like a plan?”

“Yes.” 

Edge got up and took the plates to the kitchen. Stretch had thought he’d just leave them in the sink for later, but he should have known better. The guy cleaned when he was bored, of course he wasn’t going to let dirty dishes sit in a sink. 

With a sigh, Stretch went into the kitchen with him and picked up a towel to dry the dishes. He noticed the corners of Edge’s mouth turned up in a soft smile. He chose not to say anything about it. 

The moment they walked into Stretch’s room, dismay settled over him again. Even with the light on, the room seemed dark. Clothes were scattered all over the floor and hanging out of the hamper like they were climbing out and trying to escape. Not to mention the smell. The air was musty and smelled vaguely of stale magic. Sweat and tears and whatever the fuck had gotten on his clothes only added to the awful scent. 

“sorry,” he muttered.

“For what?” Edge asked as he began to pick up clothes and decide where he wanted to pile what. 

“for...this.” He gestured to the room in general. “you shouldn’t have to deal with this.”

“I don’t  _ have  _ to do anything. I am choosing to help you because I want to. If it’s uncomfortable for you to watch me do this, you could help. I’m sorry, but I just can’t let you wash your clothes unsorted like a heathen.”

That made him laugh a little, lightening the pressure on his soul. He sucked in a breath and took a moment to figure out what Edge was putting where, then turned to pick up his own small pile and began to sort them out.

* * *

 

One load had been folded and put away, and the two skeletons were pulling the second load from the dryer as Stretch’s phone began to ring.

He froze, a pit of dread opening up in the center of his being. 

“Stretch?”

He swallowed, trying to get his voice back, as tears began to limn his sockets. “i can’t…” He backed up to the wall and silently begged the phone to just stop ringing. If it would shut up, then he could try to pretend he wasn’t disappointing his brother all over again for the zillionth time. 

Edge stood in front of him and gently put his hands on his shoulders. “Look at me,” he said softly.

Stretch did, although reluctantly. He was nervous about what he’d see in Edge’s face. Instead of any anger, disappointment, or whatever other negative thing he thought he might see, there was nothing but encouragement in those crimson eye lights. 

“What if we finish this load of laundry and then look at your phone?”

He swallowed thickly. “i don’t know if i can, edge.”

Edge nodded. “Would it help you any if I offered to screen the messages? I could tell you if they were anything like what you fear.”

Stretch thought about that for a second. If he knew for certain that his brother’s messages weren’t full of hatred, would he have the strength to finally look at them? Maybe then he could get over this and try to start mending things between Blue and himself. 

“you wouldn’t...um, you wouldn’t delete any of them, would you?” He hated asking, but there was a little wriggling doubt in the back of his skull that tried to get him to believe Edge was only offering so he could get between him and his brother. 

The pained acceptance in Edge’s face hurt. “No, of course not,” he said gently. 

“i’m sorry, edge; i should know better by now.”

Edge shook his head. “Don’t do that. Your mind is playing tricks on you right now, Stretch. I would much rather you ask than wonder and let it convince you that I’m against you. Let’s finish this, okay?”

Stretch nodded, and they got back to work. After the clothes were put away, Edge gently took Stretch by the hand and led him to the bedroom where they sat down on the bed. 

“Would you prefer to do this in here or somewhere else?”

Stretch doubted the location mattered at all. He just shrugged. 

Edge nodded wordlessly and picked up Stretch’s phone. He asked for the password, and Stretch smirked as he gave it. 

”swordfish.”

He half expected Edge to comment about it, but to his dismay Edge only gave him an odd glance before typing it in. 

And here we go. Stretch took a deep breath and waited for Edge to say something. 

He was quiet for a long while. The background noise of both the washer and dryer running didn’t drown out the sounds of Edge breathing next to him. It was soothing in a way, comforting. Stretch focused on those sounds instead of the growing pit of dread in his soul. 

Finally, Edge cleared his throat. 

“I can say with absolute certainty that your brother does not hate you. He’s very concerned about you, and I think you need to read these.”

Stretch sucked in a deep breath and nodded. He didn’t take the phone from Edge. Instead, he pulled his legs under himself and scooted closer so he could see the screen over his shoulder. 

Edge went to the first message Blue had sent and opened it up, going through each one slowly.  

**_Blue_ ** _**:** Please answer your phone, Papy. I love you. _

**_Blue_ ** _**:** I’m sorry for what I said. I’m not mad anymore; I’m just worried about you. Please call me or text me back.  _

**_Blue_ ** _**:** Remember that I love you. You’re not alone in this, Papy. If you give me a chance, I promise I’ll listen this time.  _

**_Blue_ ** _**:** I’m not going to give up on you. You’re my brother and I will keep trying until I get a response. It’s okay if you need time. I just can’t let you forget that I’m here when you’re ready.  _

**_Blue:_ ** _  Daily reminder that I love you.  _

The rest were much the same. Stretch wiped his face and sniffled before pulling back. His soul felt so light and yet heavy at the same time. All this time, he could have been communicating with his brother but he was wallowing in his own misery instead. 

“Stop that,” Edge said gruffly. 

“stop what?” Stretch asked, looking at him curiously. 

“I can practically hear the wheels turning in your skull. You’re upset that you waited so long to look at these. Stop it. Give yourself some credit for getting this far. You deserve it.”

Stretch smiled. “thanks.”

“Do you think you can call him back? Or would you like to listen to the voicemails first?”

He stared at the last message for a few minutes while he considered what he wanted to do next. Blue wouldn’t have been able to leave a voicemail a few minutes ago since he hadn’t cleared out any of the previous messages. He really didn’t want to listen to the pain and panic and whatever else in Blue’s voice right after he left, even if the messages were full of love and forgiveness. 

Finally, he nodded. “i’ll call him back.”

Edge handed him the phone. “Do you want me to stay in here with you?”

Stretch nodded again and looked over at him. “yes, please.”

“Okay. I’ll stay right here.”

With a deep breath, Stretch pressed the call icon next to his brother’s number and brought the phone to his ear. For a brief moment as the line rang, he thought he might throw up. 

And then the call was answered. 

“Papy?” Blue’s voice was so hopeful and sad and soft all at the same time. 

“h-hey, blue.” Stretch swallowed a thick mass in his throat and coughed. “yeah, it’s me.”

“Oh, Papy, I am so happy to hear from you. How are you? Are you okay? Did you get a chance to look at any of the messages I sent?”

It took a monumental effort to keep from sobbing at that moment. “yeah. just...just now. i’m sorry—“

“No! Papy, no. You don’t have to apologize for anything! I hurt you, and I am so, so sorry. I love you, Brother, and nothing you could ever do would change that. Nothing.”

He was really crying now, part of him saying he didn’t deserve his brother’s forgiveness, but another part craving his hugs. 

“i love you, too,” he sobbed. Maybe he should have asked Edge to leave. 

Instead of whatever uncomfortable thing Stretch had been worried about, Edge began to rub his back in soothing circles. He leaned in, resting his head on Edge’s shoulder. 

“i miss you, blue. i don’t think i’ve ever gone this long without seeing you.”

“Can I come over after work today? Maybe we could watch a movie or I could make you some dinner. Do you need anything?”

“i’d really like that. i need a lot of shit, but for now let’s just say bring whatever you need to make dinner.”

“I can do that! I love you, Brother! Thank you for calling me. I’m excited to see you later!”

The pure happiness in Blue’s voice made him smile. “me too, bro.”

“Then I shall see you later. Any requests for dinner?”

He was nearly feeling giddy with how much weight had been lifted off his soul. “any damn thing you want is fine with me. i’m not picky.”

Blue laughed. “Okay. I’ll have to think of something then. I’ll text you when I’m on my way, okay?”

“okay. see you later.”

They hung up, and Stretch turned to hug Edge, pulling him in tightly. Edge’s arms hesitated for only a brief second before he hugged back in earnest. 

“thank you. thank you so much, edge.”

“It was my pleasure, Stretch. Do you feel up to finishing laundry?”

Stretch laughed and nodded, but he didn’t pull away. He was shaking lightly with the amount of relief pumping through his body. 

“right now i feel like i could fly.”

Edge chuckled. “You can teleport. Same difference. Just don’t go jumping off a rooftop to test that theory, okay?”

He nodded and sniffled again before pulling back. “fine. party pooper.”

“That was actually my nickname at the academy,” Edge said thoughtfully. 

Stretch raised a brow. “you’re shitting me. and what academy?”

“I am shitting you; my real nickname was much less inspiring. I don’t think we’ve had a chance to talk about what we do yet, but I went through the police academy. I’m stuck on desk work for the next few months until I can prove that this damn thing hasn’t impaired my judgement.” He gestured to his damaged socket. “I can’t wait to get back out on duty. I’m bored out of my mind with work right now.”

He stood up and held out a hand. Stretch took it, a little baffled.  “you’re a police officer?” He really wished he knew that earlier, because he could have blamed how hot Edge was on that. Instead, the knowledge only seemed to make him even more attractive.

“Basically, yes. If we had fancy titles, I would probably be considered a detective.”

“that’s cool. do you interrogate people?”

Edge smirked. “Usually, yes. At the moment, no.”

As they got started back on laundry, Stretch continued to question Edge. 

“so...can i ask what happened? to your socket?”

“Yes. I was going after a guy who had just murdered his ex-girlfriend’s father. Apparently he was under the impression it was the father who had made her break up with him. Regardless, he was running because he was an idiot, and I was assigned his case. I caught up with him and he fought back. He really shouldn’t have been hard to take down, but I was caught off-guard when I realized he had his son with him. Young, possibly under five years old. The kid was just standing there watching me beat the shit out of his dad. The guy took the opportunity to get the upper hand and smash my face into a boulder a couple times.”

Stretch winced. “ouch!”

Edge shrugged. “It did hurt, but I’m honestly more upset about the fucking scar and the fact that no matter how much it actually heals, the crack won’t go away. It's closed quite a bit since it first happened, but stopped a while ago. The bone hasn't grown in so much as a millimeter in just over ten months.”

“how long ago did this happen?”

“Almost two years ago. I had to take six months off just to heal enough to see out of both sockets. I passed a vision exam enough to let me do desk work for a while after another few months. I’ll admit I’m probably not quite ready to get back out in the field, but my body feels ready. It’s irritating, being stuck where I know I’m not helping people the way I could have before.”

Stretch wasn’t sure what to say to that. They were nearly done folding the clothes from the dryer, and the last load was drying. 

“What do you do, Stretch?”

He shrugged. “i’m not sure i even have a job anymore.”

Edge frowned. “Did you call in at all this week?”

All he could manage was a shake of his head. 

“There may not be much you can do, then. Do you want to talk about your job?”

He figured it wouldn’t hurt anything. It wasn’t like he was emotionally attached to the work anyway.

“i work in i.t. over at y-mobile. i don’t work with customers or anything, just make sure the computers and systems run properly.”

Edge nodded thoughtfully. “Do you enjoy the work?”

Stretch shrugged. “it’s not terrible. it pays the bills, anyway. not really sure what i’m gonna do about that.”

Edge took his hand and squeezed gently. “I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”

His genuine confidence in Stretch felt nice. He squeezed back.

“hey, um...so my brother is coming over later.” He looked down, away from Edge’s curious expression. “it’s okay if you don’t want to. or if you can’t. i totally understand.”

“What would you like me to do, Stretch? I honestly can’t tell if you’re asking me to stay or if you want something else.”

He sucked in a breath and nodded. “i really want you and my brother to meet. i mean, if we’re friends, we’re gonna want to do stuff together, right? and blue...i need him to know you’re not what he thinks you are.”

Edge nodded. “Then I’ll stay. I have no other obligations tonight.”

Stretch smiled and barely dodged the urge to kiss him. He’d gotten away with it earlier, but he wasn’t about to push his luck. Friends didn’t go around kissing each other like idiots, even after they’d slept together. 

He figured he’d probably better warn Blue. Not only did he not want his brother to be surprised by Edge’s presence, he wanted to make sure his brother brought enough to feed the three of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the curious among you: Edge's nickname in the academy was Hall Monitor, because he would get after those who were breaking the rules.
> 
> Also, I'm a horribly lazy person when it comes to choosing companies my characters work for. Most of the time they do work that I've done in the past so I have some kind of experience to write them with. Don't expect too much with either skeleton's job; I'm no detective and I know little about I.T. and my will to research varies by the day. Y-Mobile is a shitty knockoff of T-Mobile because I'm so creative.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Detailed warnings in the end notes, but I need to say upfront that this chapter deals with depictions of an outsider's perspective on an abusive relationship. No physical abuse, but there is a mention of attempted sexual abuse. Please read carefully if you're sensitive to those topics.
> 
> Aside from that, are y'all ready for Blue and Edge to meet? Cuz I am!

Blue glared down at the message his brother had just sent. He really wasn’t sure what to think of this. 

**_Papy:_ ** _ so, guess what? edge is here and i asked him to stay for dinner so you two can meet and maybe get to know each other a little. fun, right? _

Had Stretch let Edge back into his life before reaching out to his own brother? 

He was truly happy to have finally heard from Stretch. He was. But this was...he wasn’t sure what this was. Unexpected was a hell of an understatement. Did this mean that Edge had convinced Stretch to reach out? Or had Edge kept him from contacting him all this time? 

He decided he’d just have to figure it out later. Right now, he needed to focus on his job and what he would make for dinner. 

After work, he went to the store and bought what he needed for simple baked chicken with mushroom sauce and mashed potatoes. He picked up some drinks as well. He took his time driving to Stretch’s place. 

All the while, he thought about how many times his brother had been manipulated into putting Chad before even himself, let alone family members. He swore to himself that he would not lose his temper tonight; he would not say hurtful things to make Stretch close in on himself again. 

That sure as hell didn’t mean he was going to sit back and watch his brother get used again. 

He’d stood by for far too long before. He hadn’t said anything when he first noticed his brother changing, and by the time he realized it was a problem he’d already been tricked into believing that Chad loved him and had his best interest at heart. 

Stretch used to be so strong. Blue remembered looking up to him and going to him for support and protection. He was not only his big brother but also the one who took care of him most often while their dad was at work. He remembered listening to Stretch talk himself through his homework, pretending that he was teaching Blue because it helped him retain what he was learning. He loved science and technology and often spent hours on projects and experiments that Blue could never understand. 

Stretch had started college and got a degree to work with computers. He’d found a job and went back to school to get an even better degree to work on more important computers. Blue didn’t really understand all of the technicalities, but he knew his brother wanted to work with science-y programs that had to do with space and stars. 

He’d stopped going to school after their dad died. He had said he’d go back after things had settled down a bit.

And then he’d met Chad. He really had seemed happy in the beginning. They’d been together for nearly a year before Blue realized there was actually something wrong.

He remembered the first time Chad had berated him in public. At least, the first time Blue was there to witness it. The brother he knew would have stood up for himself, at least snarked back. To see Stretch instead bow his head and nod like he was ashamed made Blue’s soul hurt. He didn’t understand how someone so strong could fall victim to that kind of abuse. Couldn’t his brother see what was happening to him? 

The first time Blue had brought it up to Stretch, he’d gotten angry. He defended Chad, saying he was a good person and that he only said those things because he wanted to help Stretch become a better person, too. He admitted Chad had faults, but didn’t everyone? 

Over time, Blue had watched Stretch deteriorate more and more. Dark circles formed under his sockets and didn’t go away. He said he was just tired. He made comments about his appearance that he never would have said before, how he wished he was more than just bones. Bones weren’t very sexy. 

Blue had no doubts about who put that idea in his skull.

He kept trying to talk to Stretch, to convince him that what was happening was bad, but every damn time he defended his relationship like it was the most important thing in the world to him. He defended his abuser to the point of threatening to cut Blue out of his life if he kept accusing him of terrible things. Terrible things he was actually doing. 

And so Blue changed his tactic. He began countering everything Stretch said about himself with something positive. Every time they were together with Chad, he made sure to treat his brother the way Chad was supposed to. 

He remembered the night Stretch realized the truth. It had been raining, nearing the end of fall and close to freezing temperatures. Blue had been woken up by someone standing in his bedroom doorway, knocking gently on the door.  It was Stretch, standing there in a torn hoodie, soaking wet from skull to feet, and sobbing. 

“Stretch?” He’d gotten up in a hurry when he realized someone was standing there. He rushed up to his brother and took his hand. His bones were so cold they nearly burned to the touch. “Brother? What happened?”

Stretch had fallen to his knees and pulled Blue into a hug so tight he thought he might suffocate. 

“i’m sorry. i didn’t listen, and i’m so sorry.”

It took a few cups of hot cocoa and three hours to drag the story out of him. Chad had gotten upset with him because he bought a pair of pants Blue had insisted looked good on him without getting approval first. The fact that it was Stretch’s own hard-earned money apparently wasn’t important; Chad was supposed to be able to veto any purchase for any reason. Stretch had argued, stating that they were cute and he liked them. 

It didn’t matter. Chad didn’t like them; they only highlighted Stretch’s slim build and showed too much iliac crest at the top. So, Stretch had changed into less revealing clothing--his favorite orange hoodie he’d had since he was a teenager and a pair of baggy sweatpants. 

But the fight wasn’t over. Chad wanted to know what else Blue had told him. He wanted to know how many times Blue had undermined him and tried to convince Stretch that what he said was wrong. When he realized what Blue was trying to do, he’d said Stretch was no longer allowed to spend time alone with his brother. 

“He said what?” Blue gasped.

Stretch hiccuped and nodded, tears still streaming down his face. “he said he didn’t like the ideas you were feeding into my head.”

“Yes, well, I haven’t liked a single idea he’s ever had where you’re concerned. Tell me what happened next.”

Stretch shrugged. “i told him he couldn’t do that. oh boy, was that a bad idea.” He scoffed and wiped his face. “i didn’t even know a bear could change color, but he sure did. he asked me if i’d forgotten everything he’s done for me. he reminded me that he only wants what’s best for me, and that he knows how much i want to be loved. he said he loves me. and then…” He stopped and cried silently for a long few seconds before he could continue. Blue took his hand and gently rubbed the back of his knuckles. “he grabbed my sweater and pushed me down onto the couch. he got...he got on top and started...he tried to…”

“Did he rape you?” Blue asked, cold anger chilling his bones to the core. 

Stretch shook his head.  “no, but i think he tried to. i really wasn’t in the mood and tried to push him away, pulled my sweater down when he lifted it up, shit like that. then he took the front of it and just ripped it open.” He fingered the tear in his sweater, running nearly halfway down the front. “i kicked him off of me and teleported away. it took me a while to convince myself to come here. i’m sorry, bro.”

Blue shook his head and stood up, stepping closer to pull Stretch into a tight hug. “Please don’t apologize for this, Papy. I’m glad you came to me, even if it did take a little time. Let me help you, okay?”

Stretch nodded. “okay. thank you, blue.”

Getting Stretch to commit to leaving Chad was a lot harder than Blue had thought it should be. He had already realized that the guy was bad news, had come to him crying in the middle of the night, but it seemed no more than a day had passed before he was back in the bastard’s arms. 

“he apologized, bro. he wasn’t in a good place that night, and he didn’t mean it. of course he wasn’t going to actually rape me. he said he’d never do that.”

Months. Months had passed with Stretch randomly showing up at all hours of day or night with tears in his sockets and a new story of how Chad had hurt him. There was never any physical violence; it was all words or actions that caused him to waver in his dedication. Each time, Blue was certain Stretch would want to leave him. And each time, he was baffled when Stretch returned to Chad, believing some stupid and obvious lie about how he was wrong and so sorry and it would never happen again.

Blue still wasn’t certain what the turning point for his brother actually was. Maybe the things Chad had sworn would never happen again happened a few too many times for him to accept. Maybe he’d done something even more awful than any previous thing he’d done. Whatever it was, Blue was grateful because it finally convinced his brother to get the hell away from the asshole. 

He’d sworn from the very beginning that he would do whatever it took to help his brother through the process of leaving Chad. He’d opened his home and thwarted too many attempts to go back to count. He’d sat with Stretch through sleepless nights of crying on the sofa when he felt guilty about leaving him. He tried to convince him that he would find love again someday, but that was a touchy subject.

And so Blue sat in his car in front of Stretch’s apartment, staring at the lighted window in the living room. He couldn’t see in thanks to the damaged but effective blinds, but he could see movement. Two shadows crossed by the window, both tall and slim. 

He took a deep breath and reminded himself of his resolve. He would not lose his temper. He would not hurt his brother again. 

With a nod to himself, he finally got out of the car. 

The walk to the front door was short.  He straightened his spine and knocked on the door. He listened carefully for any noises on the other side of the door, but heard nothing other than footsteps before the door opened. 

Stretch stood in front of him with a timid smile and bright yet fearful eye lights. 

“hey, bro,” he said softly before stepping back to let him in.

Blue set his bags down and pulled Stretch into a hard hug. He crouched down enough to be level with Blue and hugged back tightly. Stars, he’d missed this. He continued to hold on until Stretch pulled away.

“How are you doing, Papy?”

He shrugged and gave a little smile. “better.” He cast a glance toward the kitchen. Blue ignored it.

“I’m glad to hear it! I hope you’re hungry; I brought stuff to make chicken and mashed potatoes.”

“sounds great.” He shut the door and locked it, then walked toward the kitchen. 

Blue turned and barely managed to stop a grimace when he noticed the other monster. Stretch had already told him that Edge was a skeleton monster, so that wasn’t a shock. The menacing crack through his left socket was, though. All fell-verse monsters had some shade of red magic, so although it wasn’t exactly surprising to see bright crimson eye lights watching him closely, it was disturbing. 

“blue, i want you to meet edge. edge, this is my brother, blue.”

Edge stepped forward and held out a hand. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” He managed to sound sincere.

Blue swallowed his pride and shook the monster’s hand. “Likewise.” It really wasn’t anything like pleasant. Not at all. 

“aww, see? we can play nice with each other,” Stretch snickered. 

Edge gave him a sideways glance. Blue kept his eyes on Edge, watching him to pinpoint any signs he was working against his brother. 

Instead of being obvious about it, Blue pulled back and eyed his brother. “Papy, what on earth are you wearing?”

Stretch blushed a little, his cheeks staining pale orange. “uh...it was clean? i realized i didn’t have any clean clothes after edge convinced me to take a shower this morning, and--”

“This morning? He was here this morning?” He wasn’t sure why it was so surprising, but having confirmation that Edge had been allowed to see his brother before he could stung.

Stretch hung his head like he was actually ashamed with himself. Good. He should be. Blue mentally smacked himself; this was about mending his relationship with Stretch, not feeling bad for himself. 

Edge leaned forward a little and spoke. “I came over after he cancelled on me this morning. We had agreed to meet at the coffee shop, and I was worried something might be wrong. I came to check on him.”

He hated this. Every single thing about this was leaving a sour taste in his mouth, and he really, truly hated it. Before he could even think about what he was saying, words were tumbling out of his mouth.

“So you decided you could open your door for someone you met and slept with once, but not for your own brother?”

He saw Stretch’s flinch, and it felt dangerously good. 

Suddenly his back was against a wall and Edge’s face was inches from his own.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Edge hissed. “If you give a shit about him at all, then you shut the fuck up. He didn’t just  _ let me in _ . He didn’t  _ decide  _ to do jack shit.”

He pushed away, leaving Blue to stare with wide sockets as he stepped up to Stretch and pulled him into a surprisingly gentle hug. Stretch clung to him, his face turned away from Blue. Edge glared at him. 

“What do you mean, he didn’t let you in?”

That hard stare didn’t waver. “I mean I picked the lock when he didn’t answer.”

“you what?” Stretch asked, looking at Edge in confusion and surprise. 

Edge’s whole face and demeanor changed, softened when he turned his attention back to Stretch. His arms loosened immediately when Stretch started to pull away. He didn’t try to keep him there. 

“How did you think I got in?” Even his voice was gentler. 

Stretch blinked a few times, considering the question. “i guess i didn’t really think about it at all.”

Edge’s hands held onto Stretch’s. “I’m sorry; I would have told you if I thought you didn’t know. Yes, I picked the lock to get in. I didn’t damage anything.”

“How the hell do you know how to pick a lock to begin with?” Blue asked, his arms crossed in front of him. 

“It’s something we learn at the police academy,” he answered, the words sharp but not unkind.

Blue was only surprised for a moment. It wasn’t uncommon for fell-verse monsters to go into law enforcement. Some of them had been rumored to use their status to get away with crimes normal citizens would be jailed for. He wouldn’t put it past Edge to claim it was his right as a police officer to mark his brother. 

Stretch shook his head and stepped right back up to Edge. “it’s okay. i’m glad you did, honestly.”

Glad?! How could he be happy about that? There were boundaries civilized people didn’t cross, and that was one of them!

“i know what you’re thinking, bro,” Stretch said, resigned. “i’m okay with this because if he hadn’t done that, i’d probably still be laying in bed in the same boxers i’d been wearing all week. he got me up, listened to me, helped me make hard decisions that really shouldn’t have been that hard, cleaned my damn kitchen for me! i mean, come on, do you think i did all that?” he gestured to the spotless kitchen. 

Blue had been too preoccupied with Edge’s presence to even notice that the place was clean. 

“on top of all that, he’s the reason i was able to call you today. if it weren’t for him, i’d still be there thinking you hate me and every time you call or text or knock on my door is just you trying to tell me how much you wish i was dead so i couldn’t bother you anymore.”

He sounded so broken. Blue started to realize a few things as he let Stretch’s words sink in, and guilt began to creep its way up his spine. He’d failed, again. He had thought he was under control, but he’d let his own bigotries get in the way. 

This time he really took the time to look at Edge standing next to his brother. Stretch was leaning into him, accepting his touch and Edge’s hold was nothing if not tender.

“I’m sorry, Brother,” Blue said softly. “I told myself I would not lose my temper this evening, and I think I failed.”

Edge scoffed but didn’t say anything.

“can we start over?” Stretch asked, looking between Blue and Edge. “please?”

Edge nodded. “I’m willing to do that if your brother is.”

Both skeletons looked at Blue. He felt a little uneasy for a moment before he sucked in a deep breath. He was better than this. Finally, he nodded. 

“Yes, I am willing to start over as well.”

Edge moved away from Stretch and held out his hand again. “I understand your biases and why you hate me, but it has never been, nor will it ever be, my intention to hurt your brother. If you’ll give me a chance, I will extend the same courtesy.”

Blue nodded and shook his hand again. “I owe it to him to try.”

Stretch came up beside them and settled a hand on Blue’s shoulder. “what was this about chicken and potatoes?” he asked. 

Blue smiled. “Yes! Oh, I’d better get started.” He hurried over to his bags and took them to the kitchen. As he started getting pans and other things ready, he overheard the other two talking. 

“Do you think it would be a good idea to offer my help?” Edge asked quietly. 

Stretched hummed doubtfully. “i don’t know. probably not. he can get a little touchy when  _ i _ get in the way, and i really want you guys to get along.”

“I understand. I asked because you know him. If it could cause an arguement—or worse—then I won’t offer.”

Blue sighed. He needed to do something to get over this. It was becoming more and more clear by the minute that Edge was going to be a part of Stretch’s life in some capacity for a while, and Blue didn’t want to just cover up the mess of his doubts only to give them a chance to cause irreparable damage later on. 

Cooking had been his stress reliever for many years. He found comfort in the ability to not only create delicious meals, but to share them with the people he cared about. 

With a nod of determination, he made up his mind. 

“Edge?”  

Both Edge and Stretch turned to look at him. 

“Yes?”

“I heard you ask if you could offer your help. Do you want to help make dinner?”

Edge stared at him uncertainly for a few seconds too long before he finally answered. 

“If you would like me to, then yes.” He didn’t sound so sure, but Blue was determined to try. 

“Then will you come work on the potatoes while I prepare the chicken?”

Stretch gave him an honest smile at the same time as he gave Edge a gentle nudge toward the kitchen. 

“Yes, of course,” Edge replied. 

“do i need to chaperone you two, or are you good?” Stretch asked with a careful grin. 

Edge smirked. “I’m sure we’re fine.”

Blue nodded his agreement. 

“cool. okay, then i’m gonna go get some work done on my room. and by that i mean i’m gonna nap.”

“Papy!”

Stretch laughed. “nah, bro, i’ve slept enough for a whole month this week. i think i’ll finish up a few things edge was helping me with. have fun.”

He disappeared into his room but didn’t shut the door. 

“What were you helping him with?” Blue asked curiously. 

Edge shrugged as he pulled out a large pot for the potatoes. “He was getting frustrated trying to put his laundry away since he apparently has far more than he actually needs. I merely suggested a better way to do it. It was his idea to go through everything and get rid of items he doesn’t wear anymore.”

“Did you convince him to get rid of that awful cat shirt?” Chad had gotten it for him. It was disgusting and degrading and not safe for the public, yet Stretch was intent on keeping it. Blue was certain he kept it only because it had been a gift and he felt guilty thinking about abandoning it. 

“I didn’t convince him to do anything. Although, yes, he is getting rid of it. He said he…” he stopped and shook his head. “I shouldn’t talk about that without his permission.”

Blue was instantly curious, but Edge’s reluctance to share something his brother might not want shared was interesting. He decided not to push. The kitchen was silent for a few minutes. Not a second of it was pleasant.

“Tell me more about yourself, Edge.” If he was going to make this work, he was not going to let awkward silence get in his way.

Edge cleared his throat. “What do you want to know?”

“Why did you become a police officer?” He glanced over at Edge to his side, cutting potatoes.

“To help as many people as I can.”

Blue stared for a moment. The honesty in that answer threw him. “Do you think you’ve managed to do that?”

He shook his head. “Of course not. I’m still alive, aren’t I? If I’m still breathing, I can still work to balance the rift between fell-verse and tale-verse monsters. I can still work to stop people who think it’s okay to take advantage of others.”

Blue honestly wasn’t sure what to think of this. He swallowed and decided to ask what he really wanted to know. “Why did you choose to mark my brother?”

Edge sighed and looked at him, meeting his eye lights without hesitation. “It wasn’t a choice. I told him I would explain marking more in-depth, and I’d rather not have to explain it twice. It’s complicated. Can this discussion wait until after dinner?”

Another surprise. He had expected Edge to say something about not having a choice after what he’d read on a few websites, but he had not expected Edge to offer to explain anything in detail.

“I won’t forget,” Blue warned.

“Neither will I.”

He nodded. “Then yes, it can wait.”

“Thank you.”

Stretch’s words from that night when he’d talked to him on the phone came back. He’d said Edge wasn’t what he thought a fell-verse monster should be. That much was obvious. It was becoming more and more clear with each passing minute that he wasn’t putting on an act to win his brother’s trust. 

Time would tell, he supposed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Blue reminisces about Stretch's relationship with Chad and how he kept going back to his abuser. Mentions of verbal and emotional abuse. Depictions of watching a loved one change due to that abuse. Blue's mentality suggests that a "strong" person shouldn't be able to be abused, and that an abused person is no longer "strong". A mention of the abused party feeling guilty about leaving their abuser. 
> 
> Blue is not a perfect brother. He really does try his best, but he's not faultless. He's just starting to realize that. Honestly, he's held himself on a bit of a pedestal for helping Stretch the way he had. How can he be anything but the best brother in the world if he saved Stretch from Chad? Right?? Well...He's got a few things he needs to realize and overcome. He's working on it.
> 
> Also, I know people personally who share Blue's past perspective on people who fall victim to abuse and/or return to their abusers. They don't understand how easy it is to believe someone who knows how to manipulate, or how easy it is to get sucked back into a bad relationship. It doesn't matter how "strong" someone is. 
> 
> Believing that certain people are immune to abuse only makes those people less likely to speak out for fear of humiliation or being accused of making things up because it could never happen to them. Yes, it can happen to them, and they are just as deserving of love and support as anyone else. 
> 
> End of rant. For now.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys, I am having so much fun with this story. Thank you all for indulging me and for your continued support. It really means the world.

Edge watched Blue out of the corner of his sockets as they worked to prepare dinner. The evening wasn’t going how he’d thought it might go. He’d been taught to be ready for unexpected situations, trained and drilled countless times to be prepared for anything.

And yet, much like that child nearly two years ago, Blue’s outburst had caught him by surprise. He saw Stretch wince, saw the hurt and fear on his face, and he’d reacted without thinking. 

He still couldn’t fathom how someone could claim to be supportive and loving of someone else and then hurt them when they’re vulnerable. How did Blue think he was so good and pure after he’d pushed Stretch to tears? 

None of that mattered. The only thing that mattered was that this was Stretch’s brother and Stretch wanted them to get along. Edge knew his own boundaries, and he wasn’t about to push them by trying to pretend to be friends, but he was willing to keep things civil. 

Throughout the process of cooking dinner, Blue asked several other questions. None of them were nearly as invasive as  _ that  _ question. They were simple ones like what he liked about his job, what he did at the precinct, and such. Edge happily answered them, throwing in descriptions of the people he worked with in hopes of giving Blue a better understanding of fell-verse monsters.

It became clear fairly quickly that Blue was honestly trying. He’d tense up when Edge said something he didn’t like, something that supported his twisted view of fell-verse monsters, and then he’d take a breath and ask for clarification.  Watching his reactions and answering the following questions gave Edge a better idea of the types of phrases to avoid and to just skip right to the more in-depth descriptions that would prevent those negative reactions. 

“And what about you, Blue? Where do you work?”

“I work in Monster Services,” he said proudly. “I also enjoy helping monsters in need. I process applications for assistance.”

Edge nodded, but it took a monumental effort to keep from sneering or making some snide comment. The biases in Monster Services that preferred to hand out benefits to tale-verse monsters rather than fell-verse ones had been only a  _ part  _ of what had led his brother down the road he’d went, but it was a big part. 

He had no idea if those biases were still there. Since he joined the precinct and had a steady income, they hadn’t had to rely on handouts from anyone. Red still refused to allow himself luxuries, even now that he had his own job and income. It was why Edge had the game system in his home to begin with. He would never touch it on its own, but his brother had wanted one since they were kids. He only allowed himself to play it when he played with Edge. 

Edge was certain he was punishing himself for putting Edge through what he had as a child. In truth, Edge had nothing but respect for what his brother went through and had overcome. All his hatred was reserved for a faulty system that had deemed him and Red unworthy of assistance based on factors neither could control.

The fact that Blue couldn’t have worked there when he was a child didn’t lessen the bitter taste in his mouth. 

Still, he pushed it aside and asked the appropriate follow-up questions. He listened to each answer carefully, learning that Blue truly did want to help monsters of all kinds. Based on a story he told of a fell-verse single mother, he seemed able to put his biases aside while he worked. At least there was that.

When dinner was finally done, Blue called out to Stretch. He’d been passing back and forth all the while, constantly checking in and bringing things out. A box of clothes he wanted to donate to charity here and a bag of garbage there.

Edge was so fucking proud of him. He knew how hard it could be to drag oneself out of a deep depression, even with the help of someone who genuinely cared. Seeing his bright grin when he saw Blue and Edge getting along made every ounce of discomfort worth it. 

Blue asked Stretch to set the table, which he did with an obviously fake huff of annoyance and a comment about having to work for food. It made a soft smile mark its way on Edge’s mouth.

The food was delicious. Stretch had abandoned his manners at some point and was eating the chicken with his fingers to get every morsel of flesh from the bone. When Red did shit like that, it was annoying and gross. Seeing Stretch now was nothing more than adorable, even when he complained about the napkin sticking to his fingers as he tried to wipe them.

“This is why you have a fork,” Blue chided.

“yeah, but the fork doesn’t work.” Stretch was preoccupied pulling bits of paper from the napkin from his distal phalanges.

“How in the world does a fork not work?” Blue asked, baffled.

Stretch shrugged. “it just doesn’t.”

Edge picked up his own napkin and dipped it in his glass of water before reaching out to take Stretch’s hands in his. He took his time, carefully wiping away all evidence of his lapse in civility. It only took a few minutes, but Stretch was watching him closely with something Edge couldn’t fathom in his eye lights. Whatever it was, it made his soul flutter.

“Better?” he finally asked.

Stretch grinned, so wide and pure and it was beautiful. “yep!”

“Good. Now eat your potatoes. With your fork. I slaved over those for you.”

Stretch snorted. “whatever you say, edgelord.”

The nickname caught him off-guard. He didn’t dislike it.

He hastily turned back to his own dinner when he felt his cheekbones heating up a little. 

And then came Stretch’s little moan of pure happiness when he actually tasted the potatoes. It brought back memories that Edge really shouldn’t be thinking of right now. 

“what?” Stretch asked, a little indignantly. 

Edge looked over to see him looking at his brother. Blue looked a little shocked, but he quickly recovered. He cleared his throat and gave his first real smile of the evening. 

“Absolutely nothing, Brother. I’m glad you’re enjoying your dinner.”

Mm-hmm. Not suspicious at all. Edge didn’t call attention to it, he just continued eating. 

After dinner, Stretch thanked the both of them and disappeared back into his bedroom. 

Blue chuckled. “Leave it to my brother to leave the cleanup to everyone else.”

Edge thought about that for a second. “Would it be a shock if he helped?” He had helped earlier. Then again, the circumstances were different. 

“Oh, yes.”

He decided not to dwell on it. Instead, he and Blue gathered dishes, put leftovers away, and cleaned up. Their tasks were mostly done in silence, the two of them moving around each other almost effortlessly. It...wasn’t awful.

After everything had been cleaned, dried, and put away, Blue turned to Edge. 

“I haven’t forgotten,” Edge assured. “Let me go get Stretch.”

Blue nodded and went to the living room. 

In Stretch’s room, he was standing in the middle of the floor with his hands on his iliac crests as he looked around. 

He knocked quietly on the door before stepping inside. “You’ve done a lot of work.” The carpet desperately needed a good vacuum--probably a few of them--but it was visible. Every article of clothing Stretch was keeping was put away. The bed was even haphazardly made, the blanked a little lopsided, but it was the effort that counted.

“yeah, thanks.” Stretch turned to him and gave him that beautiful smile again. 

“I believe I owe you an explanation,” he said, holding out his hand.

Stretch didn’t hesitate to reach out, grabbing his hand gently. “yeah, you kinda do. do you wanna wait until blue’s gone? i’m not saying you need to stay, but it could wait for another day if you want to.”

Edge shook his head and pulled Stretch a little closer. “No. He asked me why I marked you. I’d rather just explain it to the both of you and get it over with.”

“okay. let’s do this, then.”

With a nod, Edge led the way to the living room. He sat on the couch, fulling expecting Stretch to sit near his brother. Instead, his body stiffened as Stretch sat close to his side, leaning into him.

After a second of stunned silence, Stretch pulled back. 

“i’m sorry. i shouldn’t have assumed that was okay.” He started to pull away.

Edge recovered and gently reached out to put his arm around Stretch’s shoulders.

“It’s really okay. I just didn’t expect that, is all. Do you want to sit here? With me?”

Stretch looked up at him, again with some unfathomable desire in his eye lights that made his soul flutter in the best way. Slowly, he nodded.

“yeah.”

“Then stay.”

Blue was watching them closely, but Edge didn’t care. He cared what Stretch wanted, and that was all. 

Keeping an arm around his shoulders, he adjusted himself just enough to make it more comfortable for Stretch to lean against him. He had angled himself to better see his brother sitting in the recliner. Hesitantly, he reached up and took Edge’s fingers over his shoulder in his hand and entwined them with his. 

This was unexpected. Certainly not unwanted, however, and Edge gave Stretch’s fingers a light squeeze. 

“There are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to fell-verse marking.” Edge began. “First of all, it’s not a choice. I hesitate to even call it a reflex. It’s more of a biological function.”

Blue cut in. “I’ve read that, but I wasn’t sure I could believe it. If it’s part of monster biology, then why don’t we tale-monsters do it, too?”

Edge nodded. “That’s a good question, and I’m not sure I know the answer. What I do know is that it was a part of fell-verse biology when we first came here to help with the war. It had sort of evolved over a time in our home land. Maybe that’s why it’s different. Our home land, from what I’ve learned, was very much kill or be killed, survival of the fittest and whatnot. Fights to the death over mates was not uncommon; neither was stealing one’s mate. It was often easier than seeking out someone who was unattached.

“I might be mistaken, but for a long time there was only the possibility of a permanent mark. As times changed and partnerships evolved from necessity to what it is now, new types of marks started to happen. A temporary mark is almost always scent-based because it can fade, and it tells other fell-verse monsters that while I may have slept with someone, I’m not claiming them as mine.”

Stretch shifted at his side, and he looked down. His brow was furrowed slightly, that beautiful grin gone and replaced by something of a frown. 

“Are you okay?” Edge asked.

Stretch’s face immediately evened out as he looked at Edge.  “yeah, of course.”

Doubtful. He chose not to comment on it now. Instead, he nodded and continued.

“Unfortunately, it’s not going to go away. It is a scent and so it will fade, but those who are in tune with marks will always be able to tell that you’ve been with me.”

“what other kinds of marks are there?” Stretch asked, craning his neck to look backward up at Edge. 

Edge smirked; he was too cute. 

“One is a physical mark, and that one is voluntary. Those are usually made by monsters who haven’t slept together but still want to stake their claim, but they can also be made in addition to one of the other kinds. Most often, it’s a bite or a brand.

“And then there’s permanent marks. Permanent marks can either be scent-based or magic-based. Magic ones bear a lot more weight than scent ones, because it’s easy to leave a scent but much more involved to share magic.”

Blue looked skeptical. “And how does one decide which mark is to be used?”

Edge tightened his jaw for a second. “Like I said, it’s not--”

“I heard what you said, Edge, but you’re telling me that there are different types of permanent marks and I’m finding it difficult to believe that a monster has no choice on which one will be put on their partner.”

Stretch’s fingers tightened on Edge’s in a comforting gesture. “blue, let’s let him explain, okay?”

Blue sighed but nodded and gestured for Edge to continue. 

“You’re not exactly wrong. We cannot chose to not leave a mark, but when it comes to permanent ones, we have developed ways to attempt to leave the right one. 

“It’s about intent. For example, let’s say that Stretch and I were to decide we wanted to pursue a real relationship. My intent would be to protect and love him for as long as he welcomed it, therefore it would very likely be a scent mark. Again, it wouldn’t go away, but if he were to choose to be with someone else, they could essentially overwrite it. Theirs would be stronger because mine would have faded.

“If we decided to have children or strengthen our bond for whatever reason, my intent may change to a magical mark based on a mutual decision. Magical ones don’t fade and cannot have a stronger magic overtake it, but there’s no real limit on the amount of marks a soul can have. To my knowledge, at least. I don’t know that it’s ever been tested.”

Once again, Stretch was staring at him with those gorgeous honey eye lights. He had a soft smile on his mouth and his thumb was gently running over his phalanges. 

“And have you decided to do that?” Blue asked. 

Edge looked over. “Do what?”

“Pursue a real relationship with my brother.”

Oh. Edge hadn’t thought about that, honestly. He’d only said that to give them both an example and hopefully a better understanding of how and why certain marks were used. 

But…

“we haven’t really talked about it, bro,” Stretch said, ducking his head and curling into Edge’s side a little shamefully.

He could see on Blue’s face that he wanted to make a remark, probably regarding the difference between discussing something and just deciding. Edge decided to give him what he needed to hear. 

“I would never make a decision like that without discussing it first. It should always be a mutual choice.”

To see Blue’s demeanor change, calm with his words was relieving. He nodded. 

“Good. Now I have a question for you, Papy.”

Stretch sat up just a little straighter, not letting go of Edge’s hand, and nodded. “‘kay.” 

“Were you aware that you were going to be marked?”

Edge winced, answering the question without intending to. 

“uh...no. but edge already apologized for that.”

Edge could practically feel the anger building in Blue. 

“I assure you, it was a mistake. We were both drunk, and it slipped my mind to tell him.”

“That’s a terrible excuse.”

He nodded. “I agree, but it’s only one I have. And honestly, I don’t care what you think about it. I only care if Stretch can forgive me, and I’ll work to earn that forgiveness for as long as he’ll allow me.”

Blue’s sockets widened for a moment before he seemed to realize that Edge was right. He nodded instead of arguing further. 

“oh, i think you’ve earned it,” Stretch mumbled, barely even audible, but Edge heard it.

He smiled softly and tightened his arm around him in a gentle hug. He disagreed; no amount of housecleaning, offering support, or anything else would be enough to feel like he’d actually earned any amount of forgiveness. He’d left a mark on Stretch without his permission. It would never go away. No matter how he felt about Edge, he would always have a reminder of their night together. All the same, knowing Stretch did forgive him made his soul feel light and pleasant. 

The evening didn’t last much longer. There had been a lot of information for the other skeletons to take in, and he knew they’d both have questions eventually. He was prepared to answer all of them as best as he could. 

Blue was the first to leave. He hugged his brother and promised to call in the morning. After he pulled away, he turned to Edge. 

“I owe you an apology, Edge,” he started, uneasy but sincere. “I...I made assumptions about you without even having met you, and I am glad that we had this opportunity to get to know each other better.”

Edge held out his hand. “Apology accepted.”

Blue shook it and stepped back. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Brother.”

Stretch nodded, a goofy but stunning grin on his face. “yep!”

After the door shut, the room was eerily silent for a few long moments. Edge wasn’t sure if they were going to talk about things tonight or if Stretch would want to wait to go there. Honestly, he wasn’t sure what he wanted. He knew he cared very much for Stretch and that he wanted to continue to see him flourish. He knew he found him to be very attractive, and he wanted to touch and kiss, but was that affection or pure physical attraction? He didn’t know. 

“um...edge?” Stretch broke the silence.

“Yes?”

“do you...y’know...do you wanna, um, talk about...stuff...tonight?” He finally looked up, and Edge’s soul hurt at the hopeful nervousness in his eye lights. 

“I’m honestly not sure,” he answered. He really hated the way Stretch’s expression fell. He reached out and took his hand. “What if we both take a bit of time to think about what we really want before we talk about this? You’re vulnerable right now, Stretch, and I would never forgive myself if I hurt you. I’m not saying I don’t want to try or that I don’t want to talk about this, I’m just really not sure what I want.”

Stretch nodded and looked back up, a little of that happiness back in his face. “okay, i can do that.”

Edge smiled. “Thank you.”

“i should be thanking you,” Stretch huffed. “i can’t imagine where i would be without you.”

He squeezed his fingers. “Give yourself the credit, Stretch. I only offered suggestions and tools; you’re the one who used them to get through today. I can’t tell you how proud I am of you and everything you accomplished. Speaking of which, would you like to take your garbage out with me when I leave?”

“yeah, that’d be cool.”

“Okay.”

Stretch stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Edge, hugging him tightly. Edge hugged back, resting his chin on his shoulder. 

“i’ll talk to you tomorrow?”

“If you like, yes.”

He nodded. “yes, i’d like.”

Edge smiled and squeezed tightly before pulling back. “Have a good rest of your evening and sleep well.”

He finally left, taking the three bags of garbage with him. After throwing them away, he took a deep breath and got on his bike. He smiled to himself, a tiny burst of excitement exploding in his soul as he thought about seeing Stretch again soon. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took me by surprise and I’m still not really sure how I feel about it. I mean, it’s mostly all good things, but it just prolongs Stretch’s angst and I didn’t want that. On the other hand, it introduces some things that I did want but wasn't sure how to make happen, so that's good?
> 
> Well. You’ll see.

Stretch once again laid on his back in bed, sprawled out enough to make sure a foot was touching either bottom corner of the mattress with his arms out to his sides, as he stared at the ceiling. This time, however, he wasn’t numb. He wasn’t sad or afraid or nervous.

He was happy.

The dopey grin on his face hadn’t faded for at least a half an hour, and it didn’t seem likely to go away any time soon.

Yes, he was tired. He was downright _exhausted_. Even on good days in the past, cleaning his whole room was a feat he rarely managed, and even then he had to have at least a few naps in between projects. Having Edge with him all day, then Blue showing up and listening to their conversations in the kitchen as he worked, had kept his momentum going. He’d gotten so much done, and he really felt like he owed it all to Edge.

Edge. A ridiculously sappy sigh escaped as his soul tightened with so much happiness he thought it might burst. Yeah, he was crushing hard, and he wasn’t sure how long he’d be able to contain it.

He wasn’t sure what he was going to do if Edge decided he didn’t want to try a real relationship. Stars knew he’d already decided that was what he wanted.

A tiny voice in the back of his skull asked him why Edge would even want that. Edge was the catch of the century, and Stretch was...well, he was broken for starters. He probably didn’t have a job anymore, so Edge could be concerned about him trying to mooch. Of course he wouldn’t; he’d find a new job soon and he’d be fine, but Edge didn’t know that.

Edge had seen him at his worst. He could barely pass for mildly attractive on a good day, and the alcohol that night had very likely skewed Edge’s perception of him. There really was no doubt that whatever physical attraction there had once been was long gone.

It wasn’t fair, really. Chad had often told him that he was decently handsome, for a skeleton. He obviously had never seen Edge. He took whatever bar Chad was using as a standard and launched it to the moon.

But then, he had said most monsters preferred a partner with meat on their bones, something to grab and squish, the ability to smack an ass without hurting themselves.

The more he thought about it, the more that happiness in his soul began to sour. Why on earth would Edge ever want to be in a relationship with someone like him? He obviously didn’t hate helping Stretch, but that was because he was a good guy. He cared because they were friends, but they’d never be more than that. Edge deserved so much more than a partner he’d have to constantly help put back together after he inevitably crumbled to pieces over stupid shit time and time again.

Stretch rolled to his side, curled up as much as he could, and pulled his blanket up to his chin. He wouldn’t be upset about this. That would only be pathetic, and he’d spent far too much on that already this week.

Yeah. Seems being pathetic was what he was best at.

* * *

The sound of his phone ringing woke him up. He reached over and grabbed it, opening his eyes blearily to look at the screen. His brother’s smiling face greeted him.

He swiped the screen to answer the call.

“hey bro,” he yawned.

“Good morning, Papy! Are you still in bed?”

He blinked a few times and shifted to get more comfortable. “yep.”

Blue sighed, his exasperation tangible. “It’s nearly nine o’clock in the morning! Get up! Eat some breakfast and go for a walk; it’ll make you feel better.”

Stretch chuckled. “the only part of that that sounds even remotely appealing is the food.”

“Yes, well, food has driven you to do many things you’d otherwise shun. You have to get out of bed to get to the kitchen to get the food.” He sounded so proud of himself.

“guess you’re right. still not ready yet.”

Blue huffed. “Well. Anyway, how are you feeling this morning?”

He shrugged to himself. “not really awake enough to say. okay, i think?”

“That’s good. What are your plans for today?”

“dunno. i kinda think i want to finish my room. i need to pick up a few more things and vacuum, then i think it’s done. probably open a few windows and air it out. maybe get a lamp; it’s pretty dark in here…” He was rambling, too tired to even think too much about what he was saying.

Blue snickered. “Okay, Brother. Have a good day, whatever you do. I love you!”

“love you too, bro.”

They hung up, and Stretch reached over just far enough to put his phone back on the corner of the table beside his bed. He turned over, pulled the blanket up to his chin, and went back to sleep.

* * *

Hunger woke him up this time. Still exhausted, he managed to drag himself out of bed and shuffle into the kitchen. What he really wanted was a bowl of cereal, but no way in hell was he doing that without milk.

Instead, he heated up some leftovers from the night before and sat on the kitchen counter to eat. He didn’t bother with a fork. Chicken was meant to be eaten with hands, and nothing would ever change his mind. Mashed potatoes were a different story, but fingers were useful tools for many jobs.

After he’d eaten, he threw away the bones and washed his hands. As he lathered soap between his phalanges, he remembered the night before when Edge had helped him clean off grease and bits of stubborn napkin. He’d taken such care, almost as if Stretch’s hands were precious. Oh, how he’d wanted to kiss Edge in that moment.

Instead of the bright happiness it had caused then, his soul clenched with something akin to longing. He wanted that feeling back. He wanted to pretend that Edge could love him, regardless of how useless a dream that was.

After drying his hands, he went back to his room. He really did want to finish cleaning, but he was still so tired. He could do it later. He crawled into bed and tried to ignore another pang of guilt. This was just another reason Edge wouldn’t want to be with him. He was messy and lazy. Even if they were to try, he’d only irritate the fuck out of him by leaving his messes around for Edge to clean up. He could tell himself he’d be better, but he knew that was a lie. Eventually, he’d give up trying to be a clean person like he always did, and Edge wouldn’t put up with that shit for long.

Once again, he curled up with the blanket pulled to his chin. He closed his eyes and tried to just go back to sleep.

* * *

He wasn’t asleep when his phone rang this time. It interrupted a wild whirlwind of doubts and regrets and made him jump in surprise.

He turned around and picked up the phone. Edge’s name made his soul hurt. His first thought was to ignore the call, but then he thought better of it. He knew Edge would only call back or text and get worried when he didn’t answer. So instead, he swiped the screen to pick up the call.

“hey.”

“Good afternoon, Stretch. How are you feeling?”

Damn, it was so nice to hear his voice.

“mostly okay,” he lied. The fact that Edge was calling him now only fuelled the negative thoughts. He called because Stretch was a mess and needed checking up on, not because he wanted to ask him on a date.

“What’s wrong?” The concern in his tone was obvious.

He didn’t know how to answer that. Instead of trying, he went with a half-truth. “i think i overdid it yesterday. i’m so tired today it’s ridiculous.”

Edge hummed. “I’m sorry I pushed you as hard as I did, then.”

Dammit, that was not what he’d meant at all! Fuck. He didn’t want Edge to think he’d done anything wrong, but how was he going to fix that? He swallowed hard and tried to form a coherent sentence. “no, it’s not that, i just...i mean, i’m so grateful for everything you did yesterday, but i’m...i guess i’m kind of a wuss, y’know?” What a way to make himself look more like a viable partner.

“You’re not. You’re working your way out of a deep depression, and that alone can be exhausting. Don’t feel bad for needing to rest; just do what you need to in order to take care of yourself.”

Why did he have to be so damn sweet? Why couldn’t he say something demeaning about laziness or apathy?

“thanks.”

“Are you sure you’re okay? You sound...I don’t know. Sad.”

Stretch sighed. Edge was too perceptive for him to hide anything, even over the fucking phone. Eventually, his feelings would come to light and Edge would smile sadly and tell him he just didn’t want to be with him like that. And he’d have to find a way to make that okay, because being just friends was so much better than being nothing.

“i might be a little sad, but i’ll be okay.”

Edge hummed again, thoughtful this time. “Is there anything you’d like to talk about?”

“not right now.” He closed his eyes.

“Okay. Just know I’m here if you change your mind, alright?”

“i know. thanks, edge.”

“Of course. For now, I’ll let you get some rest. Please let me know if you need anything, Stretch. And take care of yourself.” 

“yeah.”

* * *

Edge stared at his phone for a few long minutes before he sighed and sat up on the couch.

The fact that Stretch had answered his phone was proof enough that he was feeling better than he had yesterday morning, but still Edge wanted to hear that snarky confidence he’d first known Stretch for. That he was sad made Edge want to go right back over there and comfort him in person.

Because that wouldn’t be smothering him at all.

He knew this was to be expected. It would actually be more abnormal for Stretch to go right back to perfectly normal after how far and how hard he’d fallen. He’d made so much progress the day before, but two steps forward and one step back was the typical healing process for depression.  

None of his logic washed away how much he wanted to hear Stretch laugh.

His phone beeped with a message. He looked at it curiously, hoping it was Stretch. What he saw instead made him smirk.

**_Red:_ ** _i’m hungry and you have a promise to keep._

**_Edge:_ ** _You’re not getting a roast today._

As expected, Red replied with typical backlash.

**_Red:_ ** _the fuck you say?_

**_Edge:_ ** _I’m not even sure I have everything to make a roast today. Besides, I would have had to have started it already. As in, hours ago._

**_Red:_ ** _not. the. point._

**_Edge:_ ** _How long do you think it realistically takes to cook a roast?_

**_Red:_ ** _probably longer than i want it to. c’mon, bro, you’re a miracle worker. work your miracles._

He shook his head and got up to go to the kitchen. He needed to take an inventory of what all he had and what he needed to get.

**_Edge:_ ** _You will either need to settle for leftover meatloaf that you could pretend is a roast or wait until Tuesday. Which will it be?_

**_Red:_ ** _do you know me? fuck, you’d think we’d never even met._

Which meant Red would come over to eat the damn meatloaf and expect a roast on Tuesday anyway. Edge pulled the leftovers out of the fridge and began heating them up.

Red was right on time. He appeared in the kitchen, jacket already hung up in the coat closet. He sat at the table, salivating like he hadn’t eaten anything that day.

Edge frowned. That was too likely a scenario. He made a mental note to send more leftovers home with him when he left.

“what’s that look for?” Red asked through a mouthful of food.

Edge shot him a look but answered anyway. “When was the last time you went shopping?”

“today. got fresh greens ‘n’ everything. don’t worry ‘bout me, bro; i just didn’t wanna hafta make anything is all.”

Although that did make him feel a little better, he would never not worry about his brother. He nodded just to let Red know that he accepted that answer before turning to finish his inventory. He’d need to get a few things, most notably the roast. Probably an onion. He had a half of one, but Red liked those in abundance. He wondered absently what Stretch thought about them.

“Would you be upset if I invited a friend over to eat with us on Tuesday?”

The question was out before he had even decided he wanted to ask it. Well.

Red had stopped chewing and was watching him with scrutinizing eye lights.

“i’m guessin’ you’re not talkin’ about dyne.” he finally said.

“No, not Dyne. Although--”

“how many people am i gonna have to share this roast with, bro?” He honestly sounded territorial over a future meal.

“Would it settle your possessive little goblin nerves if I offered to make two roasts? One just for you?”

The smile that bloomed over Red’s face made Edge wish he had stealthy access to his phone’s camera. It was currently sitting on the counter, and there was no doubt the pure delighted joy in his expression would disappear the moment he reached for it.

“fuck yeah. invite whoever you want.”

Two roasts was perhaps a bit excessive, but he suddenly wanted nothing more than for Stretch to meet his brother. He had a feeling Blue might want to come as well, which...might not work out well. Red didn’t have half the control Edge had, and while Blue had made good progress, one comment would be all it would take to set Red off.

He supposed he’d just have to talk to Stretch about it.

“oh.”

Edge looked up to see Red staring at him again. This time his grin was mischievous.

“you wanna invite your sweet-cheeks, don’t ya?” It wasn’t actually a question and Edge knew it.

“Don’t call him that.”

“what should i call him then, huh, bro?” He rested his chin on his hand as he continued. “your lover? your schnookums? your honeybun?”

“Shut up, will you? His name is Stretch, and we’re just friends.” He pulled a small pad of paper from atop the fridge along with a pen to start making his list of things to get at the store.

“keep tellin’ yourself that.”

Edge grunted, annoyed. “Why are you so determined to have him be my boyfriend?”

Red shrugged, his tone almost bored. “i ain’t determined about nothin’. all i’m sayin’ is you look like a lovestruck teenager. you sounded even worse last night when you called to gush about how he held your fucking hand.”

Edge turned his face away to try to hide the blush. “I didn’t gush.”

Red’s laughter was bordering on vicious. “you talked about him sitting next to you and holding your hand for five fucking minutes, bro. if that ain’t gushing, I don’t know what the fuck is. and that ain’t all you were chatty about, neither.” He shuddered before he began counting things off on his fingers. “you’re proud of him, which makes sense, but still. he likes your cooking. i’d have to call him a damn idiot if he didn’t. and how many times did you talk about his smile? or how he laughed?”

He...didn’t remember that. “I didn’t talk about his smile at all.”

Getting up to take his empty plate to the sink, Red gave Edge a look. “ya did, too. swear you were tryin’ ta make me sick with all your lovey-dovey shit. now listen, bro; i can read between the lines. when you tell me you wanna see him again and the next damn day ask if you can invite him to dinner while i’m gonna be here, i know somethin’s up. you still wanna tell me you don’t wanna ask the fucker out?”

He must have been more tired than he’d thought the night before if he’d really said as much as Red claimed. Then again, his brother was famous for hearing things left unsaid.

He followed Red out to the living room where he watched his brother set up a new movie he’d gotten. He’d put it out where he knew Red would see it; it was a newer one he’d already expressed interest in seeing.

“What if it’s just physical attraction?” He could hardly believe he was about to have this conversation with Red, of all people. “He’s...vulnerable.”

“why? cuz he’s tale-verse?”

Edge bristled. “No, because he’s been hurt. I mean, really hurt.”

Red nodded and sat beside him on the couch. “yeah, i know about chad.”

He’d already known that Red would know more about the situation having read whatever dossier was pulled on Stretch, but to hear the name of his abuser made his soul flare. If he could just get his hands on that bastard for two minutes…

“so you’re afraid of what, exactly?”

“I’m afraid he’ll invest his whole soul into a relationship and get hurt when I realize I don’t really love him.” Stars, it hurt to say that out loud.

Red was silent for a few minutes, his fingers toying with the remote. Finally, he pushed the play button.

“guess you’ll have to see what happens when he comes over on tuesday.” He shifted uncomfortably, then added softly, “for what it’s worth, i don’t think it’s possible for you to hurt someone like that. you go all-in or you don’t go at all.”

Edge smiled. He wanted to say something, but he could tell from his brother’s posture that he’d closed himself to any further discussion. It was time to shut up and enjoy the movie.

* * *

 

**_Edge:_ ** _Would you like to come to my house for a roast dinner on Tuesday?_

Stretch looked at the message, stopping in the middle of the aisle. He read it twice before a smile spread across his mouth.

“Brother? What are you doing?”

Blue’s voice caught his attention, and he looked up. He was out shopping with Blue, finally getting the groceries he needed.

“sorry, bro. edge just asked me to dinner at his place on tuesday.” His smile suddenly erupted into something close to maniacal. Was this supposed to be a date? A real date with Edge?

**_Stretch:_ ** _yeah, that’d be great._

“At his home?” Blue asked, a little wary.

“yeah. remember, i’ve been there before. it’s a nice place.”

“I know you’ve been there before, but...I don’t know. I just worry about you, Papy.”

**_Edge:_ ** _For whatever idiotic reason, my brother is requesting the presence of your brother. I’ll trust your judgement on whether you want to invite him. Red is far more likely to bite than I am._

Okay, that didn’t sound like a date.

**_Stretch:_ ** _how many people are gonna be there?_

**_Edge:_ ** _If you choose to invite your brother, four. Otherwise, it’ll be you, myself, and my brother._

Dammit, why did he have to jump right to the conclusion that it was a date? He hated this feeling like he was suddenly drowning in disappointment, and it was his own fucking fault.

“What’s wrong?” Blue placed a gentle hand on his arm.

Stretch shrugged. “his brother’s gonna be there. he wants to know if you wanna come, too.”

“You don’t sound thrilled. You were very happy about this only a moment ago; what happened?”

Why did he have to be like this? Just because it wasn’t a date didn’t mean he had to feel so damn devastated.

“i’m just an idiot.”

“Now, Papy, you are not an idiot. Don’t talk about yourself like that. Did he say something to make you upset?”

He shook his head. “no. i just…” his voice dropped to an embarrassed whisper. “i wanted it to be a date, i guess.” He shrugged again and reached out to push the cart. “let’s finish this, okay?”

Blue watched him with sadness in his eye lights. “Yes, okay. Will you tell Edge that I would be delighted to come?”

“sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to tell me how rotten I am for not having our boys kiss in this chapter. 
> 
> It....will happen soon? I mean, the tags do say happy ending, so we’ll get there eventually.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter yet, at just over 4K words. 
> 
> Question: Do you guys prefer the longer chapters, or would you prefer that I break ones like this up? I could have separated it between Red's and Edge's perspectives and had roughly around 2K words per chapter. Opinions? Comments? Preferences?

Blue had a plan. He was going to distract Edge’s brother as much as he could to provide enough space and time for Edge and Stretch to talk. If this brother was anything like Edge, it should be a fairly easy task. He’d engage him in talk of cooking and perhaps see how he felt about puzzle games.

He refused to let Stretch teleport them anywhere, especially when it came to fell-verse territory, so he’d had his brother get the address and he was going to drive them.

He pulled up to Stretch’s apartment and got out of the car. Straightening his white button-up, he walked up to the door and knocked. Stretch had better have put some effort into his outfit this time, or they might be late. He wasn’t going to allow his brother to be anything other than perfectly presentable when wooing his beau.

Stretch opened the door, and Blue’s smile fell.

“Papy?! What the heck is that?”

Stretch smiled and stepped back so Blue could come in. “happy to see you, too, bro.”

Blue pulled him into a hug before he stepped back to really look him over.

His shirt was some form of plaid, mostly orange and browns with a dash of dark green with a white t-shirt underneath just poking out under the unbuttoned collar. Not too bad on its own; at least it fit him properly. However, he had paired it with bright blue sweatpants with yellow ducks patterned on them. On his feet were fuzzy pink socks.

“Please tell me you’re not actually planning on wearing that?”

Stretch snorted. “no, of course not. you caught me only half dressed. let me go finish.” He walked to his room and Blue listened to clothing rustling for a moment before he came back.

It was...better. He’d exchanged the sweatpants for a pair of jeans and he’d put on sensible, if not mismatched, socks. In his hands, he carried the monstrosities that were his orange converse.

“edge likes these shoes; he told me himself,” Stretch said before Blue could say anything. He sat down on the couch to put them on.

Blue highly doubted that was true, but he didn’t comment.  He waited for Stretch to gather everything he needed before they both headed out.

In the car, he could tell Stretch was nervous. He bounced his leg as he gave Blue the address and a general route of how to get there. On the way, he stared out the window, his leg still going.

“This is going to be fun,” Blue blurted. He was desperate for something to help calm his brother’s nerves. “Maybe you and Edge can talk about some things.”

Stretch hummed but didn’t turn away from the window. “maybe.”

“I wish he would have let us bring something. I feel a bit like a mooch coming to a dinner like this with nothing to offer. Did he say why we couldn’t have brought rolls or something simple like that?”

He shook his head. “no.”

That leg kept bouncing faster and faster. Blue reached out and put a hand on his knee. “Calm down, Brother. It will be okay.”

Stretch finally turned from the window and smiled unconvincingly. “i’m sure it will be. guess i’m just...don’t wanna get my hopes up, y’know?”

“I know.” He’d seen the way Edge looked at Papy, though. The way they had stared at each other was reminiscent of lovers already in a committed relationship.

The ride was shorter than Blue had anticipated, and soon they were pulling up to a nice, two-story house on a street full of nice, two-story houses. The lawn was perfectly manicured with trimmed bushes acting as a fence and a cute flower garden surrounding a tall tree to the right of a pathway made of stepping stones.

“Nice house,” Blue muttered, staring at the flawless cream-colored paint and brown door.

“told you.”

He had, but somehow Blue’s mind could only generate images of the houses he’d seen in fell-verse territory with their overrun lawns and peeling paint. Some had broken windows or missing screens, things that should have been easy to fix for a family with the resources to fix them. It was part of why he did what he did; he wanted to help get those resources out there.

“i guess we should go in?”

“Yes.” Blue finally recovered and smiled at his brother. “Yes, of course.”

They both got out of the car and walked up the path to the door. Stretch took a deep breath before knocking. Blue smiled at him encouragingly. He could smell their soon-to-be feast from out here, and it was making him hungry.

The door finally opened a crack, and a short skeleton no taller than Blue himself peered out with a single socket showing a dingy crimson eye light.

“the fuck you want?” His voice was reminiscent of Edge’s although darker and a touch lower.

Blue looked up at Stretch. Surely Edge’s brother wouldn’t be so rude.

“uh...is, um...is edge here?”

The door swung open to reveal the skeleton wearing a stained white t-shirt and black jeans that seemed three sizes too big for him yet didn’t even go all the way to his feet. How did he even keep them up?

His face wasn’t so much of a surprise as it was sad. A golden tooth had replaced his left canine and a crack led from the base of that tooth to his eye socket. He grinned wickedly.

“so you’re the sweet-cheeks, huh?”

Stretch balked. “i’m the what?”

“This is Stretch, and my name is Blue. I’m his brother.”

The monster before them turned his attention to Blue, and something in those crimson eye lights made him shiver. He looked halfway insane! At the same time, he seemed far too alert for comfort.

“uh-huh. so i guess you wanna come in?”

“Yes, that would be nice.” Blue crossed his arms, considering his plan. How was this going to work if he wasn’t like Edge at all?

He licked his teeth in an obviously threatening gesture. “lotta things’d be nice--”

“Red!” Edge’s voice carried from wherever he was, most likely the kitchen. “You better not be fucking with our guests like I already know you are.”

The monster closed his eyes and sighed. “fine. come in, i guess.” He finally stepped back.

Blue pushed past him, arms still crossed. He took a second to take off his shoes when he noticed a place for them. He watched as Stretch did the same.

Edge’s brother...Red...was watching them both closely after having shut and locked the door.

“you go on ahead, sweet-cheeks. you already know where th’kitchen’s at.” He gave a grin that looked more murderous than welcoming. “just don’t try to help. wouldn’t want you losin’ any fingers.” He wiggled his own fingers in a wave goodbye.

Stretch’s brow furrowed, but he chose not to say anything. Instead, he nodded and walked away.

Blue swallowed and let his brother go. He was safe with Edge, despite what Red seemed to think about the potential for losing limbs. He wouldn't exactly say the same about himself with Red.

* * *

 

Red looked Little Boy Blue over for a second before taking a step closer. Wisely, Blue stepped back.

“c’mon, lemme show ya ‘round while the lovebirds are talkin’.” He gestured for blue to follow him.

“Actually, I think I’d like to--”

“don’t care,” Red interrupted. He turned to shoot a glance at Blue. “y’ain’t goin’ in the kitchen ‘til dinner’s ready.”

Blue narrowed his sockets. “And why is that?” He crossed his arms again as if he really thought it was intimidating in any way.

“cuz i said so.”

“Why should I listen to you? This is your brother’s home, yes? It’s only common courtesy to greet one’s host.”

Feisty. Red chuckled and took another step closer to the fucker who thought he could get in the way of his brother’s happiness.

“do i look like i give a shit about common courtesy?”

The bastard didn’t even flinch. “No, but I’m pretty sure your brother does. Do you want to embarrass him by leaving a bad impression of his hospitality?”

Oh, he thought he had it all figured out, didn’t he? His fingers twitched with the urge to wrap them around the pretty boy’s neck.

“Are you planning on actually letting both of our guests in, Red?”

Red spun around to see Edge behind him, hands on his his hips. What the fuck?!

“what’r you doin’ out here, bro? get back in there ‘n’--”

“Red.” Edge grunted the word, annoyed already.

Red glared. “fine. fine, but this is bullshit.” He clenched his fists and stomped past Edge to the living room. He heard his brother apologizing and Blue’s acceptance, then they both went to the kitchen. Was his brother actually trying to sabotage his chance at getting together with Stretch? They needed to be shut into a closet and forced to fucking talk to each other.

Grumbling to himself, he took the remote and pressed play, unpausing the show he’d been watching.

He was suddenly aware of another presence in the room and looked over to see Stretch standing by the end of the couch, hands in his pockets and slouched into himself like he was unsure of actually existing.

“i fucking swear, if my idiot brother kicked you outta there, i’m’onna rip his ass off.”

Stretch smiled and loosened up just a smidge. “nah, i left voluntarily. they were talking cooking techniques and i kinda blacked out for a sec out of boredom. thought i'd...i dunno. not stay there.”

Red huffed. Of course his brother would be sucked into a conversation about cooking. Aside from being a stars-damned hero, it was his favorite subject.

They were both quiet for a moment while Red waited for him to do something other than stand there like a dumbass. When he didn’t do anything, Red sighed.

“sit if you wanna. i ain’t gonna bite.” He gestured to the other side of the couch near where Stretch was standing.

He did move to sit, but he was stiff about it like he didn’t actually believe he’d be left unharmed. He perched himself uncomfortably on the edge of the cushion. As Red watched him, he looked around the room like he’d never actually been there before.

“what are we even watching?”

“dunno. some nature marathon, i guess. it was on when i got here earlier.”

They were both silent, watching fish swim languidly around a small pond on a mountainside as the narrator’s voice explained mating rituals. It wasn’t horrible and Red was too lazy to sift through potential shit to find something better.

“you think edge would mind if we changed it?” Stretch finally asked. He caught sight of something that interested him then, his sockets widening and eye lights brightening. “or maybe played a game?”

On one hand, Red knew Edge wouldn’t mind a single bit if Stretch played any games on the console. On the other hand, he didn’t like touching it without Edge there. He knew his brother had gotten it for him specifically. Of course he knew; Edge had never had any interest in that shit. That didn’t change the fact that it had been bought with the very first scraps of extra money Edge had earned and he’d be fucking damned if he was going to be the one to break it.

“go pick a movie,” Red finally offered. He gestured toward the movie cabinet and watched as Stretch nodded and got up to see what there was.

What he came back with only strengthened Red’s belief that this guy was gonna be good for his brother. It was an older comedy, one Edge only had because Red had liked it, and one of the stupidest movies he’d ever seen.

“nice. you know how to work the system?”

Stretch shook his head. “uh...no.”

Dammit. With a heaving groan, he forced himself off the couch and snatched the movie case from Stretch’s hands.

“watch ‘n’ learn, sweet-cheeks.”

“why do you call me that?” His tone was more annoyed than curious.

Red just shrugged. It sure as fuck wasn’t his place to tell him how much his brother was into him. Instead of giving a real answer, he showed Stretch how to set up the movie.

He took his spot on the couch again, wriggling to get his ass in the right position, and took the remote while Stretch got something resembling comfortable on the other end.

Over the course of the next thirty minutes, Stretch relaxed more and began showing bits of his true self. The moments he laughed hardest at were telling; he preferred humor that wasn’t at the expense of someone’s dignity or limbs. Boring. He made a few comments about the characters’ antics, all of which were tainted with tale-verse logic.

Eventually, Edge came out and announced that dinner was ready.

Fucking finally! The asshole hadn’t let him snack on anything all fucking day and he was starving!

Abandoning the movie and the lovebirds, he teleported directly to the kitchen table. Blue was pulling some rolls out of the oven, and Red couldn’t help but glare. How did he finagle his way into helping Edge while Stretch was out in the living room? However it had happened, Red was going to have to resort to alternative methods if he kept that shit up.

* * *

 

Dinner was delicious, as Edge knew it would be. He hadn’t had much reason to doubt his cooking prowess for a few years now. Still, hearing Stretch compliment everything with groaned pleasure from the roast to the homemade macaroni and cheese made his soul swell with delight.

Not that Stretch was the only one to enjoy it. Red’s compliments were in the form of silence, preferring to stuff his face rather than waste energy on words. A few grunts and groans were heard, which were typical of Red’s table manners and didn’t amount to much in the way of compliments or criticism.

Blue was far more reserved in his admiration. A simple “This is really good!” along with questions about the recipes that Edge was all too happy answer was his way of approving the meal.

After everyone had eaten their fill, Edge got up and began gathering plates.

“Please, let me help,” Blue insisted.

“Nonsense. You’re the guest.”

“Yes, but you cooked. The cook shouldn’t have to clean up.”

Edge was absolutely positive that was a new rule Blue had just made up. Only a few nights ago, he hadn’t said a damn thing about cleaning up after cooking.

“hey, blue, why don’t you let me help instead?” Stretch offered.

Blue froze for a second before looking over at his brother with wide sockets.

Stretch coughed. “i mean, uh...you kinda helped? there at the end when we got here? and so you probably shouldn’t be cleaning up either, right?”

He looked so unsure of himself, his posture hunched up and his gaze firmly fixed to the table.

“how ‘bout i show you my bro’s library, blue,” Red piped up.

Blue looked over at Red, and Red glanced at Edge. That glance told him everything he needed to know. Red had already told him he was going to get him and Stretch alone if he had to resort to dismemberment to do it. At least Blue would probably be genuinely interested in the library.

“That’s a great idea, Red,” Edge said. “Blue, you’ll find many of my old recipe books up there. You’re more than welcome to borrow one if you wish.”

That seemed to calm Blue’s nerves, and he smiled. “Okay.” He turned back to Stretch. “Please actually help out, Brother. Don’t just stand around and watch while--”

“I’m sure he’ll be plenty of help,” Edge interrupted, his tone sharper than he’d intended. Stretch was already feeling unsure of himself; he didn’t need anyone--lease of all his brother--making him feel any worse. While he was sure Blue meant well, he could only see how those words would make Stretch feel useless or incompetent.

Stretch nodded and gave Edge a glance full of trust that went straight to his soul. The few last lingering doubts he had over what he wanted vanished. He wanted to see Stretch look at him like that more often. He wanted to be able to walk up to him and hug him, offer him a kiss of encouragement, and be a part of his healing until he could fly on his own.

“All right, then,” Blue said happily. “I guess just let us know if you need anything. Red, lead the way.”

Red held out a hand and wiggled his fingers. “c’mon. i know a shortcut.”

Edge caught his hand as Blue wavered, wisely uncertain if he dared take it. “It’s at the top of the stairs, Red. You can walk.”

Red whined, throwing his head back like a toddler having a small tantrum. “but i don’t wanna!”

“Do it anyway, otherwise I’ll just tell Blue how to get there and you can stay here to help us clean up.”

The glare Red shot at him was full of murderous intent. Edge just smirked back, knowing he’d gotten Red backed into a corner. For anyone else, that may have been actually deadly. Edge was lucky enough to call this goblin his brother. He either took Blue the traditional way or thwarted his brother’s opportunity to speak with Stretch alone. Edge already knew which one he’d choose.

“fine. fucking bastard. i was just tryin’ ta have a little fun.”

“Yes, and I’d rather you didn’t scar my guests.”

Blue looked perplexed but didn’t seem too hesitant to follow Red when no touching was involved.

“he wouldn’t have hurt blue, would he?” Stretch asked, already gathering plates.

“No, he wouldn’t have. However, I wouldn’t put it past him to take the long way, meaning he would ‘accidentally’ land somewhere else and have to teleport again to get where he meant to go. He also has this way of sort of stopping in the void to, as he puts it, enjoy the scenery, before coming out of the teleport. It’s terrifying.” Edge shuddered.

Stretch stared at him with mouth agape for a second. “holy shit. how does he do that? i mean, i’ve practiced that just for shits and giggles but it’s exhausting. it takes so much energy and not to mention the feeling of your life being sucked out of your being by all the fucking nothing around you.”

Edge nodded. He knew that last feeling all too well. “I don’t know how he does it, nor do I really care, but I’m pretty sure that’s why I don’t handle it well.”

“thank you, edge. thank you for stopping him. blue doesn’t need that.”

They carted dishes to the kitchen and set them on the counter. Edge turned on the hot water and instructed Stretch to scrape whatever was left on plates into the garbage before he’d scrub them off and put them in the dishwasher.

It was obvious Stretch was really trying but wasn’t sure how to do what he was told without asking questions. He didn’t know where the garbage was, for starters, and after a moment of waiting for him to ask, Edge just showed him.

“oh, uh...thanks. sorry.”

For what? He let it go this once, but kept a socket on him as he rinsed glasses and silverware.

As Stretch reached over to put a newly-scraped plate on the counter, Edge was already reaching for another glass. He bumped into Stretch, not hard by any means, but apparently hard enough to cause him to drop the plate. Edge caught it and set it down on the counter. He didn’t think anything of it until Stretch started rambling.

“i’m so sorry. i didn’t mean to get in your way. i...i should have…”

He had backed up against the counter and huddled into himself like he was expecting a blow.

An overwhelming sadness hit Edge hard as he realized Stretch actually was expecting him to lash out verbally. Not because he thought Edge was like that, but because it was what he’d been taught to expect.

Edge turned off the water and dried his hands. With as much tenderness and care as he could muster, he stepped up to Stretch and lightly touched his face, urging him to look up.  It took a few tries before he finally did.

“i’m sorry,” he whispered.

Edge shook his head and spoke calmly. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Stretch.”

“i got in your way and i almost broke that plate.”

“I was in your way as much as you were in mine.” He stepped just a little closer and wrapped his free arm around Stretch, pulling him flush against him. “I honestly don’t care about the plate. A plate can be replaced; you cannot.” He leaned in a little, resting his forehead against Stretch’s. “You matter a hell of a lot more to me than any dish ever could.”

Stretch’s arms hesitantly lifted and wrapped around Edge, holding him tightly. His fingers gripped his shirt at his back.

“i know you’re not him. i _know_ that. i don’t know why i got so scared. i’m sor--”

“Shh. You don’t need to apologize for this. Surviving a horrible situation leaves its own kind of mark, and things like this are the lingering effects.” He lifted his head and pressed a kiss to Stretch’s forehead. “I want to be here for you, always. I want to be able to comfort you and show you how a partner is supposed to treat you.”

Stretch looked at him, meeting his eye lights. “you...why? i mean, i want to be with you, edge. i really do. but how can you want me?” He looked down, staring at some invisible spot on Edge’s shirt. “i’m...i’m not…” He shrugged, and Edge waited to hear what he needed to say. Better to let him get it out and know what he’s countering than to act blindly.

“You’re not what?” Edge encouraged.

“i’m broken,” he finally whispered.

“Look at me, Stretch.” His hand still on Stretch’s chin urged him to look up. He did, but he kept his eye lights downcast. He’d have to work with that. “If you’re broken because of a some healing emotional wounds, then aren’t I broken thanks to my socket?”

His eye lights snapped up, finally meeting Edge’s. “no! i didn’t mean that! i only meant…”

Edge nodded, and Stretch trailed off. “I know that’s not what you meant, but I’m trying to make a point here. There are things about me that are fundamentally different now. For example, I will never have perfect vision in this socket again. I will be paranoid about any suspects having their children with them, or something that will otherwise catch me off-guard.”

He shook his head and kissed Stretch’s cheek. “My point in all that is that what you’ve been through shouldn’t be treated as anything less than a truly harrowing experience. You can tell me that you went back to him or you believed his lies or whatever else to try to place that blame on yourself, but none of that will change my mind. What I care about is showing you how you deserve to be loved.”

Pulling back just enough to see him again, Edge watched a pale orange tear mark its way down the side of Stretch’s face. He frowned and wiped the trail left behind with his thumb.

“i’m okay,” Stretch whimpered. “i am. i’m happy.” The following smile was bright and beautiful.

Edge smiled back. “If you’re happy, then I am, too. Can I kiss you?”

“yeah, of course.”

He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Stretch’s mouth. He immediately kissed back, his arms tightening around him and holding him close. They both deepened it together, exploring each other in a new way. They may have shared the physicality of a kiss before, but the intent behind it was brand new.

Stretch pulled back first, and Edge let him go despite how much he wanted to continue. His soul fluttered as Stretch smiled peacefully and met his eye lights.

“If we’re going to give this a shot, then I have a request to make,” Edge said, clearing his throat.

Stretch nodded. “okay.”

“If you ever doubt me or my intentions, please talk to me. I might be very talented at reading people and nonverbal cues, but I am not a mind reader. I know I’ve said this before, but I would much rather you talk to me about something unpleasant than for you to let it fester. It’s a bit like lancing a wound; if we get the infection out before it spreads, it will heal much faster.”

He sucked in a deep breath and nodded again. “i’ll do my best.”

“Your best is all I ask.” He knew there would be times when Stretch would talk himself out of coming to him with his concerns, times when his self-doubt would rear its head and try to take him down with it, but he was prepared to weather those storms.

They shared a few more kisses before Edge remembered that they were supposed to be cleaning the kitchen. As much as he wanted to stay right there with Stretch in his arms for the rest of the night, there were chores to do.

“do you still want me to help?” Stretch asked meekly.

“Of course I do. I’m somewhat particular about how the dishwasher gets loaded, so why don’t you rinse the dishes and I’ll load them in?”

“by ‘somewhat particular’ do you actually mean ‘unbearably anal’?” he snickered even as he stepped up to the sink.

Edge smirked. “Yes.”

Stretch laughed and handed him a glass. He took it, paying less attention to where he put it than he did to Stretch’s face. He could load the dishwasher in his sleep, and he didn’t want to miss a second of that gorgeous smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm pretty sure most of you already know this and likely found this story through one of these platforms, but I'm on Tumblr and Twitter! 
> 
> Sheewolf85.tumblr.com  
> @Sheewof85 on Twitter


	13. Chapter 13

When they’d gotten to the top of the stairs and he’d seen the bookshelves there, Blue had assumed that was the library and had immediately gone over to check it out. 

What he’d seen intrigued him. The first bookshelf was packed with books on quantum physics, robotics, and a few other science-y things Blue only knew how to pronounce thanks to his brother’s past schooling. 

“you comin’?” Red asked with an impatient grunt. 

“Oh, is this not the library?”

Red snorted. “i know my bro’s smart enough to read that shit, but i doubt he’d understand half of it. nah, those are my books the bastard wouldn’t let me throw away. his library’s down this way.”

“Why do you call your brother that? It’s rude.”

“you should hear some’a the shit he calls me.” 

There was a fondness in his tone that Blue didn’t understand. He couldn’t imagine calling his brother names like that, even if he hadn’t been abused before. He loved his brother. 

He chose not to say anything else about it and just followed Red down the hall.

The room was much bigger than Blue had expected. It was lined almost entirely with tall, six-shelf bookshelves save for just space enough to fit a desk and a comfortable-looking reading chair next to it in the corner. 

The desk was neatly organized with papers tucked away in their respective holders, a pencil cup, and a small lamp. To the side of the chair, nearly behind it, was a taller lamp that curved to provide light where the reader would need it. 

Each bookshelf had a number, ranging from one to twelve, and each individual shelf had a small letter placed strategically to the side to avoid obscuring any of the titles. 

He walked up to shelf eight and scanned the titles. They were all high fantasy books belonging to a series that he’d once thought about reading until he realized there were spinoffs upon spinoffs that all seemed to relate to each other and he got confused. The sheer amount of novels in front of him, all bearing the same author’s name, made him wonder if Edge owned all of them. 

He wondered absently if Edge had read them all as well. 

He moved on to another bookshelf—this one number six—and glanced at those books. These were all history books, some Blue had read and some he’d never heard of. 

“Your brother really likes to read,” Blue commented. 

Red scoffed. “this room ain’t even a fraction of what my bro actually reads. the recipe books are on number three.”

Blue nodded and turned to inspect the shelf labeled with the number three. Most of them were store-bought books, some Blue already had, but on the shelf with a small “C” he found a selection of five handwritten ones. 

Gingerly, he pulled out a book at random and looked it over. 

_ Cooking for a Wounded Soul _

Interesting title. 

Thumbing through it, he found recipes carefully written in pristine script that detailed which ingredients encouraged which type of healing. In some margins were notes, some afterthoughts and some corrections. One in particular on a recipe for mushroom soup caught his eye. 

_ “Red responded well to this one. Next time double the amount of astragalus root.” _

He had questions. Oh, he had questions. First and foremost was why Red had needed healing. Maybe it had something to do with his tooth. Physical healing and soul healing were usually thought of as one in the same, considering how often a wounded soul was the catalyst for low physical health.

Instead of asking any of his questions, he continued thumbing through the book. He was interested to find the recipe for pan-fried Brussels sprouts they’d with their dinner that night. Within the details of the recipe, Blue read Edge’s notes about the vegetable being helpful for clearing the air, strengthening bonds, and providing an overall path to better health.

Once he reached the end, he set it aside and chose a different book from the shelf. This one focused mainly on cooking as an aphrodisiac. While it wasn’t something he was particularly interested in, he did give it the same attention he’d given the other one. 

Each book had a particular focus. The next one Blue pulled out detailed recipes that were purely comfort food. In it, he’d found the recipe for the macaroni and cheese they’d had, along with the roast. The fourth book boasted its usefulness in terms of cooking healthy, filling meals when supplies were limited, and finally, the last book...didn’t seem like a recipe book at all.

_ Maintaining and Controlling High LV _

It was no secret that many fell-verse monsters had LV. Some of them had a dangerously high level, in fact. As stupid as it was, Blue hadn’t thought to check Edge’s LV when they first met, and he felt awkward doing it in the kitchen while cooking with him. It didn’t surprise him that he had a book about maintaining LV, but he was suddenly viciously curious what his was at. 

Inside the front cover was a column of numbers, all but one featuring a line cut through it. The first was thirteen. Second, twelve. Third, back to thirteen. Fourth, eleven. Fifth, ten. And finally, the last number not crossed out, eleven again.  

Was it even possible to lose LV? Blue didn’t think so, so what were these numbers?

He looked through the book, a little surprised to find that it actually was a recipe book. Many of the recipes were for baking, cakes and pies and tarts. Each one listed ways to focus intention and care to relax, keep one’s patience, and find a purpose to bake with love instead of anger. 

Most pages had stains on them, which was surprising since every other book was pristine. In each margin was a set of stars, most likely a rating. He wondered if Edge had rated them himself or if the intended recipient of the treats had done it. 

Once he was finished looking through all five books, he put them back one by one, taking care to make sure they went back in the same order he’d found them. He kept out the first one, however. Edge had said he could borrow one, and he was interested in reading more of his tips for healing.

“I’d like to borrow this one,” he said, turning to see Red sleeping in the chair. He closed his mouth to keep from making any awkward noises and potentially waking him up. He seemed like he might react badly. 

Instead, he began to tiptoe backward toward the door. He’d seen the couches on the landing by the stairs and thought that would be a good place to go through the book more thoroughly. If Red was anything like Papy, he’d probably sleep for a few hours. No need to worry about him going downstairs, so Edge and Stretch would get some quality time to talk about what they both wanted. It was win-win, all around.

“you ain’t goin’ downstairs.”

Blue jumped, turning to see Red still half-laying, half-curled into the chair, his sockets still closed. It didn’t look like he’d so much as shifted a single bone. 

“Um…” It was Red’s voice, but Red was asleep.

“leave ‘em be. our bros, i mean.”

At least his mouth moved, indicating it was actually Red who had spoken. 

“I thought you were asleep.”

Red opened a single socket and met his eye lights. “what, you never heard’a multitasking?”

“You can’t sleep and watch someone at the same time,” Blue sputtered. The idea was preposterous. Asleep meant unconscious, and unconscious meant you  _ didn’t  _ see what was going on around you.

“keep tellin’ yourself that. you can’t have the chair cuz my ass ain’t movin’, but feel free to sit at the desk. pick a book; read a while.”

Blue found this highly suspicious. “Why are you so intent on keeping me from your brother?” He hadn’t had any intentions of going downstairs, but now he wondered if he should.

“ain’t. jus’ don’t want you interferin’ is all.”

“Interfering with  _ what _ ?” This was only making him want to go back downstairs immediately. He turned back toward the door. 

Red was suddenly right in front of him, blocking the door. “cool your tits for fuck’s sake. my bro ain’t gonna hurt anyone.” 

The way he slowly pushed the door shut was only convincing Blue otherwise.

“listen. i know ya don’t trust me, and that’s probably a good thing for your sanity ‘n’ all, but you trust edge, right?”

“At the moment…?” He really wasn’t sure what to think. All he could imagine was Stretch down there being cornered by someone he thought cared for him. “Please, Red, I just need to check on him. I won’t...interfere, but I need to see that my brother is okay.”

Red narrowed his sockets and seemed to search Blue’s face for a moment before he finally relented. 

“you say or do anything to get in the way ‘n’ i’ll break your kneecaps.”

Blue swallowed. This was not sounding good. He had the urge to grab Stretch and just book it. Stretch could teleport, too, so maybe they’d have a chance to make it home before Red could catch them.

“O-okay.” He nodded, trying to make Red believe that he wouldn’t do anything even if Stretch was being harassed. 

Red opened the door again and stepped to the side. Blue made a beeline for the stairs, trying to at least be somewhat quiet as he descended as quickly as he could. He stopped in the doorway to the kitchen, his soul pounding out of fear of what he might see. 

Stretch was standing at the sink rinsing dishes and handing them to Edge, who was loading the dishwasher. Stretch was laughing, and even Edge’s mouth was pulled up in an indulgent smirk.

This...was not what he had been expecting.

He took deep breaths to try to calm down and realize that his brother was not in any danger. 

As he looked on, he noticed small things like the way their fingers would linger, holding the touch longer than necessary as Stretch handed the dishes over. The look of pure adoration on Edge’s face was unmistakable, as was the goofy and love-struck lilt in Stretch’s voice as he joked about coming over just to mess with the dishwasher one day. 

“told ya.”

Blue gasped and spun around to see Red behind him. “Will you stop doing that?!” he hissed, trying to stay quiet so he didn’t interrupt Stretch’s peaceful moment.

Red just shrugged. “i’m the asshole of the family. i’m the one who’ll fuck your shit up. my bro? he’s the good guy. granted, he’ll fuck your shit up, too, but he’ll have a good reason to do it. he likes your bro, and you ain’t gonna fuck this up for him.”

Suddenly, it clicked. Red had been trying to make sure Edge and Stretch had a moment together, too, just like Blue had been. They were fumbling over each other trying to reach the same damn goal. 

He couldn’t help it; he laughed and covered his mouth to try to be quiet. 

“the fuck are you laughing about?” Red asked, sounding truly insulted. 

Blue shook his head and took a deep breath. “We’re on the same team here, Red. Stretch really likes Edge, too, and my plan tonight was to keep  _ you  _ away from them.”

Red folded his arms in front of him and glared. “then why the fuck did you push your bro out of the kitchen earlier?”

“I...well…” he didn’t have a good answer for that. He hadn’t actually thought he was going to implement his plan until after dinner was cleaned up anyway. When Stretch had volunteered to help he’d only wavered because he didn’t want Edge to have to clean everything up by himself, regardless of how willing he seemed to do it.

It was clear now that Red’s timeline was different. He wanted the two to have time together from the very beginning. Probably smart, but he wasn’t sure his brother would have had the courage to bring up the subject so early into the evening. 

“It doesn’t matter,” he finally said. “What matters is that they’re finally getting together. Look at them.”

Red grimaced. “rather not. you satisfied yet?”

Blue gave him a look. “Yes, I am.” 

Red followed him back upstairs, probably just to make sure he actually went. 

“gonna crash out here. go have fun in the library.” He laid down on the couch in a position that left Blue with no doubts he would be able to see if Blue tried to sneak back downstairs. Not that he was going to, but the show of distrust was chafing. 

He chose not to say anything about it and just went back to the library.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point, I don't have any plans of making Cherryberry happen in this story. Red has a few too many issues I'm not sure I want to delve into before they could have a decent relationship. If marking wasn't a thing, I could see hate sex happening, tho. Sadly, it is a thing, and Blue would not go for that. They will, however, form something of a friendship. Probably. Eh, we'll see how things go.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I actually had this chapter written yesterday and thought about making ch's 13 and 14 one really long chapter, but then I realized that I wanted Blue and Red to have the spotlight for a minute. 
> 
> And now back to regularly scheduled programming.

All of the dishes were loaded into the dishwasher, the leftovers put away--an entire second roast with at least two helpings of each side dish carefully set aside for Red--and all that was left to do was wipe down the counters. 

Stretch wasn’t sure how to best help with that, but much like with the rest of the cleanup, Edge had a suggestion. 

“Will you take one of the dry towels and follow after me? I don’t like leaving water spots.”

Stretch snickered as he grabbed one of the towels Edge had referred to. “oh, no, not a dreaded water spot.”

Edge smirked but didn’t say anything as he began wiping down the top of the dishwasher. Moving with the ease of someone who did this several times per day, Edge had nearly all of the counter space wiped clean within a few minutes. Stretch was only half done and tried to move a little faster as Edge stepped around him to rinse out his own cloth. 

“Take your time, Stretch. It won’t dry that fast, and even if it does any spot will be fresh enough to be wiped up.”

He hadn’t realized he was tensing up, worrying about not doing his task well enough to pass Edge’s obviously high standards. He took a deep breath and allowed himself to slow down just a little, enough to make sure that he got every inch of the counter dry.

Once finished, Edge took the towel from him and draped it over the door of one of the lower cupboards to dry.

“how do you think our brothers are getting along?” Stretch asked. He’d been trying not to think about it, preferring to focus on Edge while he could, but he couldn’t deny he was worried about Blue.

“I’m sure they’re fine. They came down to check on us not long ago.” 

He raised a brow. “when? i didn’t see or hear either of them.”

Edge nodded. “They were trying to be stealthy about it. Your brother is not nearly as quiet as he likes to think he is.”

Or maybe Edge was just more observant than Stretch was. That was okay, he told himself. He was a police officer and a fell-verse monster; one alone was usually known for being more perceptive than the general populace, although for different reasons. Police officers because they trained in the academy to notice little details, and fell-verse monsters because they...well, Stretch wasn’t exactly sure why. He’d heard rumors that they were that way because they all lied to each other and had to know how to pick out the truth, but he wasn’t sure he could believe that. 

Whatever the reason, he knew that being both fell-verse and in law enforcement made Edge more in tune with the world around him.

“do you think we should go check on them?” 

Edge stepped up to him and wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him lightly into his side. “If you’d like. I’m sure Red has already found a comfortable place to nap, and something tells me your brother wouldn’t last long in a room he found uninteresting.”

Stretch snickered. “you’re right. they’re probably fine. what should we do then?” He looked at Edge, his soul swelling happily at the affectionate gleam in his bright crimson eye lights.

“Anything you’d like. You were watching a movie with Red before dinner; would you like to finish it?”

He’d forgotten all about that. He’d been so excited to see that particular movie in Edge’s collection. It was one he hadn’t seen in years but he remembered he’d liked it. 

“yeah, i think i would.”

Edge nodded and leaned in to give him a soft kiss before leading the way to the living room. Stretch sat on the couch and watched as Edge got everything set back up again before coming to sit next to him. He immediately moved to snuggle into Edge’s side, warm contentedness blooming in his soul as Edge wrapped an arm around his shoulders and hugged lightly. 

The movie was just as funny as it had been less than a few hours ago. He couldn’t help but laugh at certain parts and absolutely adored each and every one of Edge’s silent laughs that shook his body just enough that he could feel it. 

Stars, he loved this monster. 

He glanced over only to be shocked into silence. Edge was staring at him with wide, soft eye lights and a light blush on his cheekbones. 

“what?” he asked, suddenly uncertain. Why wasn’t he watching the movie?

“You’re beautiful,” Edge said simply. 

Oh. Stretch felt his face burn with a bright blush and immediately ducked his head into Edge’s chest. 

No, he was not beautiful. He was...something, but it wasn’t beautiful. 

Edge’s arms curled around him a reassuring hug. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t push him to believe words he knew weren’t true, but he didn’t take them back either. 

Stretch decided not to say anything about it, and instead turned his head enough to continue watching the movie. It wasn’t nearly as funny as it had been a few moments ago, but it was at least entertaining enough to keep his mind from wandering into painful territory. 

Eventually, the movie ended and the credits began to roll. Stretch didn’t want to move. He was comfortable and warm, and he didn’t want to examine what Edge had meant. 

His thoughts went there anyway. Did Edge want to have sex tonight, even if their brothers were there? Chad had only ever complimented him physically when he wanted sex. Maybe Edge wanted Stretch to stay the night with him. They hadn’t talked about it, but that didn’t mean plans couldn’t change. Did he want to mark him permanently now that they were a couple? 

He knew it was going to happen if they were really going to try to make this work, but the thought made him uncomfortable. He wasn’t ready for that yet. 

Dammit, why did he have to be this way? He couldn’t lie to Edge, but to admit the truth would likely hurt him. Would he think Stretch wasn’t as interested in a relationship as he claimed to be? Would he change his mind and decide being with Stretch but waiting to mark him was too much hassle?

Edge’s arms tightened around him. “Stretch? Are you okay?”

He turned enough to bury his face in Edge’s shirt. Taking a deep breath, he remembered Edge’s request from earlier. It would hurt like a bitch to lose him so quickly, but he couldn’t justify trying to drag him along, either. 

With a deep breath, he forced himself to pull back. He didn’t take a last kiss and he didn’t look to see Edge’s concern written on his face. 

“i need to tell you something,” he started. Stars, he felt sick. 

Edge took his hands in his own and squeezed gently. “Okay?”

“i don’t...i don’t want...fuck, i don’t know how to say this.” He tried to pull his hands back, to put just a little bit of distance between them, but Edge only held tighter.

“Please look at me.” His voice was pleading, and Stretch couldn’t ignore that. 

He looked up guiltily to see so much caring and patience staring back at him. It felt like a punch to the face. 

“Don’t be scared to tell me what you want and what you don’t want. We need to be open with each other. If you tell me what you need, then I promise to be as accommodating as I can be.”

Stretch swallowed. He doubted Edge knew how much a promise meant to him. Then again, with how many times Chad broke them, it was a wonder he put much stock into that word anymore.  Somehow or another, he’d managed to separate Chad’s promises from everyone else’s. Would he end up doing the same with Edge's?

He finally nodded and sucked in a breath. Keeping his eye lights downcast so he wouldn’t have to witness Edge’s expression change, he finally managed to speak.

“i don’t want to be marked yet. permanently, i mean.”

“Okay.”

The simple acceptance and lack of hesitation in that word threw him. He looked up to see that nothing in Edge’s expression had changed one bit. 

“okay?”

He nodded. “Yes. I had no intention of marking you so soon. We both obviously care for each other and want to be together, but we haven’t had much time to get to know each other very well. I believe we should do that before we talk about permanent marking.”

A sudden rush of relief threatened to bring tears to his sockets. “i...really?”

“Yes. Are you okay with that?”

Stretch couldn’t help but laugh a little out of sheer happiness. “yeah! of course i am, i just...i was so sure you’d be mad.”

Edge nodded again and lifted his hands to kiss his knuckles. “This is why I asked to talk to me. I’m really proud of you for bringing this up; I can’t imagine how hard it must have been.”

The praise was unexpected, but certainly not unwelcome. Stretch smiled a little and shifted to get closer. Not letting go of his hands, Edge helped him turn so his back was resting against him. Their hands rested on Stretch’s sternum, just above his soul, and Edge pressed a gentle kiss to the side of his skull.

“You’ve been hurt, Stretch. I know that. It’s only part of the reason I want to take things a little slower. Can you tell me something, though?”

Stretch nodded in response. 

“Did I say or do something to bring on this line of thought that I want to mark you tonight or would be upset by your hesitance?”

He closed his eyes and opted for honesty. “you called me beautiful.”

Edge hummed. “Is that word a trigger for you?”

Damn his calm persistence. He took a second to think about his answer before responding. “i don’t know. nobody else has ever called me that. even...even  _ he  _ didn’t, but he only ever said good things about me like that when...y’know…”

He felt Edge nod behind him. “Okay. Would you prefer I don’t comment on your appearance like that?”

“i guess that depends. why did you say it?”

“Because I think you’re beautiful.”

His answer was so simple, spoken so honestly, and yet Stretch couldn’t believe it. 

He blushed again, trying to duck his head. “i’m not.”

Another kiss to the side of his skull. “I’m not going to argue with you about this, Stretch,” he said softly, a hint of charming humor in his voice. “As they say, ‘beauty is in the eye of beholder’, and as the one beholding, I can safely say that you are gorgeous.” 

His face kept getting hotter and his soul pulsed with an amalgamation of embarrassment and affection.

“However, if you would rather I don’t make those kinds of comments, I can keep my opinions to myself. I just need to know your preference.”

A part of him, hidden deep under too many layers of hurt, desperately wanted to hear Edge compliment him. He craved the reassurance that he wasn’t physically boring and that Edge wouldn’t get tired of him. All the same, it felt like too much to ask him to say those things just to ease his doubts. 

“i honestly don’t know, edge. i’m sorry i don’t have a better answer for you.”

Edge shook his head, bone clacking gently against Stretch’s. “You don’t have to be sorry. Is it okay if we test the waters for the next couple of weeks and you can tell me how you feel later? I won’t bombard you with compliments, only a few scattered here and there.”

He could probably handle that. “just when it comes to mind,” he suggested. 

Edge smiled against his cheekbone. “If I were to tell you how beautiful you are every time I thought it, I would never stop saying it.”

“why didn’t you tell me that ‘charming’ is your middle name?”

He snorted. “I don’t have a middle name. Regardless, I’m hardly charming at all.”

Oh hell no, he was not going to stand for that. He shifted enough to turn his head, his face only inches from Edge’s. “if you can call me gorgeous, then i can call you charming.”

“We’re giving it a trial period, remember?” He tilted his head just enough to place a soft kiss on Stretch’s mouth. 

He smiled into the kiss. “do you object to me saying you’re charming?” he asked after Edge pulled away.

“No, I just know it to be grossly untrue. There’s no such saying about charm being in the eye of the beholder.”

Stretch shrugged. “maybe not, but you are one smooth motherfucker when you want to be.”

Edge chuckled. “There’s a difference between charm and knowing what to say when it will benefit me the most.”

His smile fell, a twinge of doubt pulling painfully at his soul. “so you didn’t mean it, then?” he asked. Of course he didn’t. 

“Mean what?”

He swallowed again, feeling stupid for having bought into that crap. He started to pull away, but Edge held firmly. 

“Mean what, Stretch? What did I say to upset you?”

“that if you told me i was beautiful every time you thought it, you wouldn’t stop saying it.” He spoke harsher than he’d meant to. “you only said that because you knew i’d fall for it and you…” He couldn’t finish.

Edge sighed and let Stretch go. He didn’t move far, just to put enough space between them so he could breathe. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think about what I was saying.”

“yeah, right.” What else did Edge say to him only because he’d benefit from it?

“I wasn’t trying to get you to fall for anything, Stretch. I may have exaggerated a little, but I did mean what I said.” He paused for a moment before reaching out, a silent request for Stretch to take his hand.

Stretch debated only for a moment. He finally put his hand in Edge’s and squeezed. 

“Can you forgive me?” he asked gently.

If he thought about things logically, he could see that Edge hadn’t meant to hurt him. Whether he had been teasing or speaking honestly about how he felt about himself, he had separated what Stretch saw as undeniable charm and that ill-timed comment. 

Logic wasn’t always his friend, but he wanted to listen to it this time. “yeah, i forgive you.” 

Edge lifted his hand to kiss his knuckles again. “Knowing that there is a difference between charm and saying whatever will get one’s way, I will concede that perhaps I am a little charming. On occasion.”

Stretch smiled in spite of himself. “are you just saying that to get your way?”

Edge smirked. “No. I’ll trust your judgement when it comes to how you see me.”

If only it was that easy for everyone. Instead of commenting, he only moved back against Edge’s side and snuggled into his embrace once again. 

“don’t even fuckin’ think about it.” Red’s growl came from the top of the stairs, startling Stretch.

Blue instantly responded. “Will you stop  _ doing _ that! For hell’s sake, you’ve nearly given me a heart attack three times tonight and I don’t even have a heart!”

“your fault for assumin’ a guy can’t nap and see you pullin’ shit at the same time.”

“I’m not pulling anything! Do you even know what time it is? They’ve had hours--”

“don’t give a fuck. you interrupt and i’ll--”

“Yes, I know, you’ll break my kneecaps.”

Stretch looked up at Edge, concerned. Edge sighed and shook his head, more as a gesture of exasperation than anything else. 

“Red!” he hollered.

“ain’t nothin’ goin’ on up here, bro. don’t mind us.”

Stretch doubted that.

“Blue is not your prisoner and you will not treat him like one. Not in my home or anywhere else.”

Stretch could practically feel his brother gloating from here. 

“never said he was.”

“you can come down, blue,” Stretch offered. “we’re just talking.” And, honestly, it was probably getting late. He didn’t have a clue what time it was, and he looked around the room for a clock. 

Blue’s footsteps bounced lightly on the steps and he came around the corner holding three books. 

“I am sorry, Brother, but it’s getting late and I have to work early in the morning.” He turned his attention to Edge. “I found a few books I would like to borrow. I know you said one, but I couldn’t resist...Of course, if it’s too much to ask, one is fine.”

“May I see which ones you’ve picked?” Edge held out his hand that wasn’t currently holding Stretch’s in his lap. 

Blue nodded and stepped forward, handing the books to him one at a time. Stretch looked at them curiously. He had a cookbook, a history book about fell-verse monsters and where they were from, and a fantasy novel with a cool looking dragon on the front cover. 

“Yes, these are all fine. When you read this one--” he tapped on the history book “--keep in mind that it was written by a fell-verse monster with an obvious bias. The factual information in it is solid, but we don’t all think the way this author does when he chooses to include opinions.”

Blue nodded. “Thank you for telling me.”  He gathered up the books and gave Stretch a sorrowful glance. 

Stretch nodded and looked back at Edge. “we should get going.”

Edge squeezed his hand and gave him a gentle kiss. “I’ll call you tomorrow on my break and we can discuss our next date.”

They both stood up and Edge took them into the kitchen to get the leftovers they were taking home. He then walked them back to the door where both Blue and Stretch took a moment to put on their shoes. 

As Blue opened the door, Stretch turned back to Edge and pulled him into a hug. 

“thank you for everything tonight, edge.”

Edge hugged him back tightly. “It was all my pleasure.”

They shared a last kiss before Stretch finally pulled away and followed his brother out to the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick reminder here that victims of abuse face different challenges throughout their healing process, and what one person goes through may be entirely different from another person's experience. There is no "wrong" way to survive abuse or move past its effects, so long as the coping methods are not self-destructive. 
> 
> Also, Stretch is going to go through a lot of ups and downs. He will see bright, happy days and also very dark moments, sometimes in rapid succession. His abuser may not have actually loved him, but he made a damn convincing show of it most of the time. This means that some things Edge does that actually show how much he cares may be similar to Chad's manipulation techniques. 
> 
> Just...y'know. I guess I want to make sure y'all don't think I'm just throwing angst around like candy for shits and giggles. There is a method to my madness.


	15. Chapter 15

Red was waiting in the kitchen for him when Edge managed to bring himself down from euphoria. The evening had gone so much better than he’d had any right to hope for, and he honestly couldn’t wait to see Stretch again. 

“when do i get to say ‘i told ya so’?”

Edge didn’t even look over to see Red sitting on his clean counter. For once, he didn’t care. He had other things on his mind. 

“If I let you say it now, will it get out of your system?”

Red snorted. “you actually hafta ask?”

Yeah, Edge already knew his brother would be rubbing this in his face for a while. Luckily for Red, this particular situation was one he didn’t mind being wrong about. 

He and Stretch were dating. Officially. Just thinking it made his soul swell happily. 

“you seriously look drunk right now, bro.”

He chose not to comment on that, only giving his brother a half-hearted glare.  

He’d known happiness many times in his life. His childhood wasn’t so doomed as to have never known what it felt like to get a surprise for Gyftmas or the thrill of an impromptu trip to a carnival. He’d had a first kiss and new friends and, of course, being accepted to the academy. 

And yet, all of that paled in comparison to being with Stretch tonight. There was something special growing between them, he could feel it. With some time, patience, and careful nurturing, he had no doubts the end result would be worth every struggle they would have to overcome. 

That didn’t mean he had to let his brother know just how right he had been. Especially considering how he’d treated Blue. Regardless of his initial biases, he was trying, and he was Stretch’s brother. If situations had been reversed, if in some strange universe it were Edge being treated that way, Red would have already murdered someone. 

“Tell me, Brother, why you insisted on being so nice to Blue today.”

To see his brother actually balk, wide-eyed shock crossing his face like someone slapped him, was viciously satisfying. 

“nice?! i wasn’t nothin’ like nice to that fucker.”

Edge nodded. Getting under Red’s non-existent skin was too easy sometimes. 

“You could have just tied him up to keep him away, and yet you didn’t. You even allowed him to come downstairs to check on us. How is that not evidence that you’re already sweet on him?”

He looked ashen. “you’re gonna make me barf. what the fuck is wrong with you?”

Edge feigned offence. “Wrong with me? I’m not the one who threatened to break anyone’s kneecaps. Coming from you, that’s practically a marriage proposal.”

“you’re sick, bro.”

Edge snickered. “I learned from the best.”

Red sat and grumbled for a moment, trying to regain his composure. Edge was honestly surprised he didn’t make a comment about how actually tying someone up was a more appropriate way of showing his affection. 

While his brother was contemplating the top ten best ways to hide his dust, Edge began gathering the leftovers he’d take home with him. The second roast wasn’t large, but it was enough to feed Red for a few nights. Coupled with the side dishes, he had no doubts he’d be set for at least a little while. 

After everything was gathered and carefully placed in bags where they would not tip or leak if Red tossed them into the fridge like he was wont to do, he turned back to his brother. 

“I do actually appreciate your efforts tonight. Thank you for giving Stretch and me time to talk.”

Red scoffed and waved a hand. “it wasn’t nothin’. just glad you got your head outta your own ass.” He hopped off the counter and took the bag. He didn’t glance inside to make sure he had what he wanted; he trusted Edge and that felt nice. “by the by,” he turned to look at Edge, “told ya so.” 

He winked and disappeared.

Edge laughed to himself and began going through his nightly routine of checking the house and getting ready for bed. Tomorrow was going to be another busy day, and he had to think of a good date idea on top of it.

* * *

 

“So…?”

Stretch turned from staring out the window at the stars barely visible through a thin layer of clouds to look at his brother. 

“so, what?”

Blue grinned excitedly, his fingers gripping the steering wheel as he glanced over at Stretch. He was always a safe driver, but sometimes Stretch got a little nervous when he was overly excited. 

“You kissed! You’re officially together, yes? Are you happy? You look happy.”

He chuckled and sat up just a little straighter in his seat. “yeah, i’m happy, bro. we got a lot of time to talk tonight, so thank you. although, something tells me red had a hand in that, too?”

Blue’s grin faltered. “Yes, well, in the end we were both trying to reach the same goal. Fell-verse monsters have some strange ideas when it comes to ensuring someone’s privacy.”

“he didn’t hurt you, did he?” He’d have a few words with Edge if he did. He had no doubts Red would only glare at him, maybe even try to bite him, but he might listen to Edge.

“No, he didn’t. I’m sure it was an empty threat, and I’m fine.”

Stretch nodded, satisfied. “good. uh, so, yeah. edge and i are a thing now, i guess. hey, can i ask you something?”

Their conversation about beauty and charm hadn’t left him. He so wanted to trust Edge, to believe that he wasn’t just throwing around pretty words to get him to let down his guard, but he couldn't get over the fact that he’d fallen for that same thing so many times before. Maybe not exactly the same, but close enough to make him feel uneasy.

“Of course, Brother! Ask me anything. I am, after all, a romance expert.”

He barely contained his snort. Blue was no more a romance expert that Stretch himself was an astronaut. He couldn’t even recall a single relationship Blue had ever had. He had never seemed interested in having a partner, even for one night. 

Shaking the thoughts from his head, he asked a question that had been burning in his soul. 

“i know this is kinda awkward, and you can tell me it’s too much for you to answer, but...edge called me beautiful tonight. am i? i don’t...i mean, you’re my brother, so…” He clenched his eyes shut and turned back to the window. “never mind, bro. sorry. you don’t have to answer that.”

The ride was silent the rest of the way home. By the time they pulled into Stretch’s apartment, he was so close to tears. Why did he even ask that question? Blue was hardly one to be able to answer, and he doubted anyone but Edge would ever see him that way. 

“Papy?” Blue’s voice was quiet, yet almost too loud in the silence of the car.

He turned to look at his brother, taking a deep breath and waiting for whatever he needed to say. 

“I know I had my doubts about Edge. I doubted him because he’s fell-verse, and I doubted him because you’ve been hurt and I couldn't stand it if it happened again. After talking with him, seeing how he looks at you and how he treats you, I can’t say that I still have those doubts.”

He wasn’t sure what that really had to do with what he’d asked, but Stretch nodded anyway. 

“To answer your question, however, yes. You are beautiful. Yes, I’m your brother, and no, I don’t see your beauty the way Edge would, but it’s unmistakable. I know Chad told you that you weren’t. I know he said things to make you doubt your attractiveness, but you listen to me. He said those things to make you feel like he was the only one who would ever want you. It was a tactic to get you to return to him time and again, and it worked.”

Stretch hung his head in shame. “i’m sorry.” 

Blue reached out and grabbed his hand. “Oh, Papy. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. That wasn’t why I said that, and I’m sorry. I said it because I want you to know how to compare those things Chad did to you with what Edge does. Did he say anything about someone else finding you unattractive, or being likeable only by other skeletons?”

He hadn’t. He shook his head. “no, but he said beauty was in the eye of the beholder.” Not the same thing, of course, but it could be twisted to mean that other beholders wouldn’t see anything like beauty.

“And it is. I love you, Brother. I want you to be happy. Please remember that moving on from what Chad did to you will be a process with ups and down, good times and bad. If Edge is truly up to snuff, then he’ll be there with you throughout the whole process, not just the good parts.” He squeezed Stretch’s hand again.

Stretch nodded. “we talked about some of it tonight. he asked me to talk to him whenever i doubted him. i don’t want to doubt him, blue. i really don’t.” He leaned over the center console to lay his head on Blue’s shoulder. “i don’t want him to get fed up with my shit.”

Blue nuzzled the top of Stretch’s skull. “Did you bring up your doubts about this subject with him?”

“yeah. i got worried cuz i wasn’t sure what he wanted or if i was even comfortable with him saying that about me. every time chad said anything like that, he wanted...stuff. edge didn’t even bat an eye.” He smiled fondly as he recalled the events. “he wasn’t mad, wasn’t hurt. just calmly asked about triggers and then suggested he say things like that every once in a while to see if i’d be okay with it or if it’s actually upsetting to me.”

“See, Papy? Just give it time and remember to be kind to yourself.”

He pulled Stretch into an awkward hug, the angle straining his spine enough to ache a little, but Stretch didn’t care. He hugged back hard.

“thanks, bro.”

“Anytime. Call me if you need anything, okay? Do you want me to walk you up?”

Stretch pulled back and shook his head. “nah, i’ll just take a shortcut.” 

Blue nodded as he gathered his portion of the leftovers. He gave one last smile before he teleported into his living room.

He put his stuff away before going to make sure the door was locked. Afterward, he took a quick shower and went to bed with a smile on his face. He couldn’t wait to talk to Edge tomorrow.

* * *

 

Edge had thought long and hard about what he wanted to suggest to Stretch for their next date. Technically, their first date, but if he thought too much about that he’d start to doubt the options he’d come up with. 

When they’d first met in the bar and had spent the evening talking, Edge had learned a lot about Stretch. He learned that he liked the color orange (not surprising, given his attire), he didn’t dislike cats but he was wary of them, he had a degree although Edge hadn’t found out what it was in, and he enjoyed drawing and painting as a hobby. 

The last fact he’d learned toward the end of the night when Stretch’s inhibitions were loosened enough to probably divulge secrets he hadn’t meant to say. Edge had seen nothing even remotely art related when he’d helped Stretch clean his house, and as he thought more about that night at the bar, he could recognize that there had been a sense of longing when he’d said he liked to paint. 

He was taking a big chance, and he hoped he didn’t regret it. It was, after all, only one of three suggestions that Stretch could choose from. He may not even remember telling Edge and may think it was just another thing Edge thought might be fun. 

He sucked in a breath and took his phone out of his pocket. He found Stretch’s name and pressed the phone icon. 

The line only rang twice before the call was answered. 

“hey, edge!”

His voice was light and chipper, and it made Edge smile automatically to hear the happiness in it. 

“Hello. How are you feeling today?”

“good. i’m snacking on leftover roast. damn, you’re talented.”

He felt his cheekbones heat up and cleared his throat. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it. I have a question for you.”

“okay.”

“What are you doing tomorrow night?”

There was a short pause. “uh...i dunno yet. you, uh, have something in mind?”

He sounded so hopeful yet so unsure at the same time. It hurt him to hear it. 

“Actually, yes. A friend of mine will be hosting an art class down at the rec center tomorrow from six to eight in the evening. He asked me to help spread the word, and I thought it might be fun for you and me to attend.”

The pause this time was longer. “what kind of art class?”

“Painting, I believe. From what he’s told me, all supplies will be offered by the class, including paints, canvasses, etcetera. He’ll be teaching some of his techniques for still life.”

“i...i haven’t painted in a long time,” he said quietly, nearly a whisper. He cleared his throat and spoke a little louder. “i doubt i’m any good at it anymore.”

“I can guarantee you’re better than I am. A rock would be a better artist than I am. By that, I mean that talent isn’t required to come to this class. I only thought it might be a fun experience. If you would rather not, I promise neither I nor my friend will be upset.” He made sure to speak calmly yet firmly to let Stretch know that he meant that. This was about his comfort level, and if he wasn’t ready to open himself up to that yet, that was fine. 

“can i think about it or do you need an answer now?”

“Of course you can think about it. I will need answer by ten o’clock tomorrow morning so I can let my friend know if we’re coming. He’ll just need to be sure he has enough supplies for us.”

He could hear Stretch’s sigh of relief over the phone. “okay. i’ll let you know. if we go, would it be, y’know, our second date? or, i guess our first? was last night a date?”

Edge smiled. “I’d like to consider it one. Would you?”

His answer was immediate. “yeah. yeah, i would.”

“Then it was a date. And yes, if we were to go to this art class, I would like it to be a date as well.” He almost dropped the thought there, but then thought of something.  “However, I want you to know that doesn’t mean that we can’t do something else if you decide not to go. I have other ideas.”

Once again, Stretch seemed relieved. “what other ideas do you have?”

“There’s a new bookstore that opened up a few weeks ago that I haven’t had time to visit yet. I’m not sure how you feel about browsing them, but I personally enjoy it very much. They have a cafe inside that offers coffees and teas. If you would like to do that, we can go any day. 

“And, this weekend, our local animal shelter is having a fundraiser. There’ll be the typical treats for purchase, as well as animals that can be adopted or just played with. It’s great stimulation for the animals, as well as an opportunity for the public to see how many animals need help. I already plan on donating whether I attend or not.”

“damn, you really thought about this, huh?” he said with an obvious smirk in his voice. “no typical dinner and a movie for you.”

Edge smiled. “Dinner and a movie is fine and all, but I’d rather do something with you that lends itself to actually speaking and getting to know you.”

“i kinda wanna go see the animals. can we do that and still do the painting thing if...or, well...never mind, i’ll--”

“Stretch,” Edge interrupted as kindly as he could, keeping his voice soft. “We could do all three if you wanted to. I’m certainly not opposed to getting to see you multiple times this week.”

Stretch laughed softly, a sound that put a happy thrum in Edge’s soul. “okay. i’ll think about the art thing, but i definitely wanna go see the animals. not sure about the bookstore. hey, do you think they’d have textbooks there? like physics or advanced chemistry? probably not, huh?”

Edge blinked. “I honestly don’t know. I can find out for you if you’d like. Also, my brother has a few textbooks left over from when he attended college. I’m sure most of the information is still usable. Would you like me to ask him if you can borrow some of them?”

“i don’t know. i’m just being stupid.” He could hear the self-deprecating shrug in his voice.

“You’re not stupid, but we’ll talk about that later. Unfortunately, I need to get back to work. You can text me or call me when you know what you want to do about the painting class, okay?”

He looked up to see Dyne standing by the door of the breakroom, her arms crossed over her chest and a smirk on her face that told him she’d been there for far too long. He rolled his eye lights and turned his attention back to his call.

“okay. thanks, edge. talk to you soon.”

They hung up and Edge sighed. He had to wonder if Stretch was interested in furthering his education. Keeping one from bettering themselves was often a tactic abusers used to make their targets dependent on them, and Edge wondered if Stretch had been made to believe that returning to school was not possible for him. 

Regardless of what Stretch wanted the books for, Edge was going to make sure Stretch knew he’d be there with him, supporting him.

“If that wasn’t the cutest damn thing I’ve seen since my wife’s face this morning, I don’t know what is.” Dyne sauntered over and sat next to him at the small metal table. 

Edge smirked. “And what face was that? Her ‘mad scientist’ gleam or her ‘O’ face?”

Dyne snorted. “You say that like there’s a difference.”

“And that’s my cue to go back to work. See you later.” He stood up and slipped his phone into his pocket. 

Dyne’s cackle could be heard almost all the way back to his desk. 

As he worked, Edge found himself wondering more and more about why Stretch had asked about the books. He already knew Red wouldn’t mind if Stretch borrowed his books. Hell, Red would probably be happy if he just gave them all away, but Edge refused to do that. 

One day, Red would forgive himself enough to think about past dreams he’d left behind, and Edge would be damned if his brother didn’t have exactly what he needed to start chasing them again.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of these days I might make an actual outline of this story and follow it. Until then, enjoy this totally unexpected development.

The next morning came too quickly for Stretch. Birds were singing outside his window as sunlight tried to filter in through his blinds, dappling light across his face and waking him up. 

He groaned and sleepily reached out to check the time on his phone. Nine o’clock. Okay, so he still had an hour. 

And yet, he only had an hour. Just one short hour to make up his mind and give Edge an answer. 

It should be something so simple to make a decision on whether or not to go to go a fucking art class. He knew Edge wouldn’t be upset. He’d said so, and Stretch wanted to trust him. 

The part that had him deliberating so much was that he really, honestly wanted to go. He hadn’t painted since...well, since Chad told him it was a waste of time and that he wasn’t any good at it anyway. 

He’d never wanted to get good at it, per se. It was just something he enjoyed that let him forget about the stresses of the day for a while. He’d only picked it up to begin with because he’d figured out that trying to have his particular brand of science be both a hobby and a career was too damn draining. He couldn’t forget about the stress and worry of passing an exam or a hard day at work when being in that same frame of mind was how he tried to unwind. 

Besides, getting messy and colorful was a hell of a lot more fun. 

He wanted to try it again. He wanted to take back that little bit of himself that Chad had stolen. 

But…

There was always a but.

But what if Edge thought it was stupid. 

_ He was the one who brought it up. He wouldn’t have if he thought it was stupid. _

But what if people laughed at him because still life was sure as fuck not what he had usually painted and he was going to suck pretty hardcore. 

_ Edge had said talent was not required to attend the class, and that a rock would be a better artist than him. Doubtful, but he was a fell-verse monster willing to show a weakness to give Stretch this opportunity. That wasn’t a small thing and he knew it. _

But what if Stretch spilled paint and caused a scene trying to clean up and only made a fool of himself in front of Edge who then decided that Stretch wasn’t all that interesting anyway and in the process of trying to clean up he bumped into someone else causing them to spill their paints and it had a domino effect until the whole studio was nothing but spilled paint and everyone including Edge was mad at him?

_ Okay, that’s just ridiculous and weirdly specific.  _

Stretch took a deep breath and shook his head. Beside him, his phone chimed with a text message. 

**_Edge:_ ** _ I don’t want to rush you, but I do need to let my friend know if he needs to get supplies for us for the class tonight. If this is too much, then let’s wait and go to the next one.  _

The next one?!

Stretch immediately sat up and called Edge, hope clanging around in his soul so hard he could almost hear it. 

“Good morning, Stretch,” he answered softly. “How are you doing today?”

Stretch swallowed. “um, i’m okay i think. hey, so there’s gonna be another art class?”

“Yes, but not for a few months.”

Months.

So much for hope. If it was next week, that would be one thing, but  _ months _ ? He felt a little like hollow. 

“i wanna go. i do, but…” damn his indecision!

“Stretch, please don’t be upset over this. Are you deliberating because I asked you to go, or because it’s painting, or…? Is there something making this a difficult decision for you?”

He sucked in a deep breath and thought about it. He knew the answer, but he found himself reluctant to say it out loud. As he thought, he listened to the chatter in the background of Edge’s end of the line.

“because it’s painting,” he finally answered. “i used to really like it, but i haven’t done it in ages. probably three years.” 

“Are you worried that going to this specific class with me will be your only opportunity to paint again?”

That thought hadn’t even occurred to him. Not consciously. And yet, now that it was there where he could see and feel it, suddenly he was terrified that if he chose not to go today, he’d never get the chance again. 

He scoffed. “yeah. how dumb is that?” It would only be a few months, not forever. 

“Not dumb at all. Is it okay if I tell my friend we will not be joining him tonight?”

He would get another chance. He would. 

“yeah, that’s okay.” He nodded to himself and shifted to sit against the wall, drawing his knees up to his chest. 

“Okay. When you’re ready, we’ll figure something out. This friend isn’t the only one who holds these kinds of classes. Alternatively, we could simply paint by ourselves. There’s nothing stating we have to attend a class of any kind.”

But Edge said he wasn't an artist. “you’d do that for me?” 

“Of course I would.” He could almost hear Edge’s expression, his brow pulled together in that concerned but supportive furrow and his eye lights soft and calm. “If it’s important to you, then I would be honored to be a part of helping you reclaim it.”

Stretch felt like he might cry. “how...i don’t...how did you even know this was something i wanted?” He hadn’t even really known, not until Edge had brought up the idea of the class.

Edge was silent for a moment before he spoke. “You mentioned painting that night at the bar, although I didn’t understand how much it meant to you until this morning. I’ve worked with survivors of several kinds of abuse, and one of the constants in healing and recovery is allowing themselves little pleasures they used to enjoy, be it reading or sewing, music or cooking. Any little hobby that was purely for themselves that their abusers took from them. There is no time limit on this, Stretch. Don’t push yourself faster than you’re comfortable with, okay?”

How did he get so lucky? A part of him could hardly believe it was only luck that had brought it him to that bar that night. He looked up at his ceiling and sent a silent thank you to the stars and the Angel and whoever or whatever else might have had a hand in his decisions that night. 

“okay. thank you.”

“Of course. What are your plans for the day?”

Stretch shrugged. “don’t know yet. i should probably do some job hunting, though. did i tell you i’m officially unemployed?”

“No, you didn’t. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“meh. it’s my own fault.”

Edge hummed. “Perhaps, but remember the circumstances and try not to be too hard on yourself, okay?”

He smirked. “i’ll try.”

“Good. Hang on a moment.”

Stretch could hear someone talking to Edge, but he couldn’t make out words. Edge’s response was nothing more than a grunt, but he could tell in that small noise that Edge was not happy.

“I’m sorry, Stretch; I need to go. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“okay.” 

He barely had time to get the word out before the line went dead. He knew Edge was at work and something had obviously happened. Edge hadn’t hung up on him. Not on purpose. 

He took a breath and hoped everything was okay.

* * *

 

Edge barely managed to repress a growl when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was only Dyne trying to show her support, but he really didn’t want anyone touching him at the moment. He pulled away, disguising it as shifting in his seat, and she didn’t hesitate to remove her hand. 

She understood. He knew she did, and he didn’t have to see the expression on her face to know it. 

“When can I talk to him?” he asked, doing his best not to snap or snarl the words. He had more control than this, dammit!

The chief sighed, sitting in his chair and looking at Edge with the kind of pity that grated. Edge didn’t need pity. He needed information.

Chief Asgore Dreemurr was a tale-verse monster, though, and if Edge had learned anything about the tale-verse during his time in the precinct, it was they thought an apology or kind words and some soup would fix just about any case of bad news there could be. Very few of them seemed to recognize that soup wouldn’t fix a fucking thing, but information could be used in various ways. 

Chief Dreemurr leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on the desk with his hands clasped together. 

“I’m sorry, Edge, but we don’t know enough yet to let you see him. I merely wanted to give you a heads up as it’s likely he’ll use his phone call to call you.”

He raised a brow bone. He didn’t even have to guess to know that what he really wanted was for Edge to take notes and tell him what Red had to say when he called. Fuck that. If they didn’t have the brains to record those phone calls that was their own fucking fault.

“And you don’t think I’d be detached enough to interrogate him because he’s my brother, correct?”

The chief looked honestly shocked. “We would never consider sending someone in to question their own sibling.”

Coward. “And why not? Do you not realize that I know him and his ticks better than anyone else ever could? Whoever you do decide to send in there won’t get anything remotely like the truth. I can see through his bullshit. Please let me speak to him.”

He tried to make himself sound as cold and detached as possible. Dyne beside him would know better, but she wouldn’t utter a word. He trusted her. 

Chief Dreemurr frowned a moment and lifted his hands--still clasped together--to rest his chin on them. 

“You’re sure you’d be able to handle that?”

“Of course.” 

“He’s your brother.”

“I’m aware.”

He could feel Dyne hiding a smile beside him.

“You’ll have to suspend your biases; you understand that, do you not?”

Edge couldn’t handle much more of this. He shifted again, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. He looked at the chief, meeting his eyes. 

“I understand perhaps more than you want to know. My brother is...unique. I’m not under any illusions; he may be related to me but he’s not driven by morals or even decency. He will have had his reasons for whatever happened, but I’m fully aware that it doesn’t mean they’re good reasons.”

The chief took a few minutes to think things through. Edge hoped he was thinking about the past when Red had been arrested for stupid shit before Edge had become an officer and all the shit he had caused. He had to know that having someone who knew how to read him doing the questioning would be better than someone who might just end up bitten or thoroughly ignored. Edge also wouldn’t put it past Red to toy with his interrogator. No matter who they sent in, Red had likely read up on them simply because they worked with Edge, and that meant he’d have information about family members or other loved ones that he could use to get to them.

He half expected Dyne to suggest she go in if the chief was really unsure about siblings. Edge wouldn’t allow that. Red’s mouth was sharp enough when he was sober; if he was either drunk or high enough to get himself arrested, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from saying things intended to wound, regardless of who was in there. Edge had seen Red through the worst of his withdrawals and knew how precise his aim could be. Dyne didn’t need that shit. 

She seemed to get that, because she didn’t say a word. 

Finally, Chief Dreemurr nodded. “I suppose you have a point. Alright, we’ll allow you to question your brother.”

Edge didn’t let out a sigh. He didn’t allow his shoulders to relax. There was no outward sign of how relieved he truly was. Instead, he nodded once and stood up.

Chief Dreemurr stood as well and led the way to the interrogation room. He stopped just outside and handed Edge a small device. It was a small microphone designed wireless to be secured discreetly beneath the collar of a shirt. He took it and clipped it where he knew it would be well-hidden, already knowing Red would spot it immediately. 

He nodded and turned without a word; he didn’t care for whatever words of wisdom his Chief wanted to impart on him. In any other situation, he would have listened and taken heed of his advice. He wasn’t the chief by accident and had certainly proven himself worthy of the title. That didn’t mean he knew jack shit when it came to how to handle his brother.

Red didn’t look up when the door opened. Edge hadn’t expected him to. He sat at the small table with a cuff around his left wrist. The cuff was engraved with symbols, magic to keep him from teleporting away. Edge had no doubts those had been crafted just for Red. Other monsters could teleport, but he doubted any one of them had caused as much shit with their ability as Red had.

Edge stood by the door, just out of Red’s line of sight, and looked him over. He wasn’t hunched over or swaying in his seat. He wasn’t humming to himself or even fidgeting at all. He just sat there staring at the cuff on his wrist like he could crack the code and get out of it. Too bad it wasn’t a code to be cracked. 

The shirt he was wearing had probably once been a single shade of light blue but was now stained with grease and whatever else that it looked splotchy. Not to mention streaks of blood, already dry but fresh from that day. Edge noticed his fingers were also stained red.

“Good afternoon, Brother.”

Red tensed and looked up, clearly surprised to see Edge standing there. He recovered quickly and gave him a nod. 

“hey, i know you. here to bring me some coffee?”

His eye lights were small but focused and his voice was clear. He wasn’t drunk or on any drugs that Edge had experience seeing Red on. So what was this?

“What the hell are you doing here?” He moved to take the seat across the table. 

Red’s grin faltered, but only enough for Edge to catch it. 

“you mean they didn’t tattle on me? how sweet of them.”

Edge glared. “All I know is that you were caught trying to dig someone’s eyes out of their head.” He gestured toward Red’s hands, not bothering to reach out. “They thought it was a drug deal gone bad but haven’t been able to find any drugs.”

Red was quiet for a long moment. The micro expressions that crossed his face were almost too rapid for Edge to tell what they were, but he most definitely detected guilt. 

“So explain to me what happened. Your victim is in the hospital and apparently refuses to talk.”

“i wasn’t tryin’ to get drugs.”

Edge wanted to believe him. He truly did. But at the end of the day, Red was Red and he was going to do whatever the fuck he wanted regardless of what Edge had to say about it. 

“Don’t tell me what you  _ weren’t  _ doing, Red,” he snapped. 

The tiniest hint of a flinch was evident in the way he moved his shoulders, attempting to cover it up by shifting. He looked up then, meeting his eye lights, and the desperate plea in them was enough to convince Edge. 

“I need you to tell me the truth. Who did you attack?”

Red sighed and nodded. “his name is william peters. his brother in law worked with slate fetzner.”

Edge’s soul went cold. Slate Fetzner was the bastard who smashed his face in and gave him his scar. 

The second shock wore off, he was hit with a wave of hot anger. He sucked in a breath and reminded himself that not only was he being watched and recorded, but he was on law enforcement property. 

Leaning forward just a little, he managed to keep his voice steady. “And why the hell would you not bring that information to our investigators here instead of going after him yourself?”

Red gave him a look. He didn’t like that look. Something was going on that he wasn’t aware of.

“eh, i’m more of a hands on kind’a guy ‘n’ you know it.”

Translation:  _ it wouldn’t have done any fucking good to bring it here. _

“What did you get out of him?”

“a few teeth. some furballs. an eye.” Red waggled his bloody fingertips and grinned.

Edge grunted. “Allow me to rephrase: What  _ relevant information  _ did you get out of him?”

Red chucked. “slate hasn’t been seen since he got the drop on you, but this guy billy used to be good friends with him. turns out, they still get together every now and then.”

If Red was giving out that kind of information, then whatever was going on was not a mole or traitor in the office.

“When and where?”

“see, i was real close to gettin’ that outta him when we heard the sirens. i should’a left then, but i was an idiot and thought i had a few minutes left.”

Edge could practically hear the unspoken words.  _ sorry i got caught, bro.  _

He nodded. “What else did you find out?”

Red shrugged. “nothin’ much. the guy thought i was sent by his wife to kill him for cheatin’, though, so there’s that.”

The inclusion of irrelevant information was telling.  _ there’s more info i can’t share right now. _

He rattled the cuff around his wrist. “this thing’s chafing.” 

“You already know I can’t take it off of you.” 

Red smirked. “yeah, i know. my goody-two-shoes bro can’t break the rules. luckily i break ‘em enough for the both of us.”

_ i can’t tell you what i know or it’ll put you in a compromising position. _

“That’s hardly luck. Is there anything else?”

“heh. yeah. have fun with the sweet-cheeks on saturday. maybe teach him a thing or two about doggy style.” He winked.

Edge frowned. There was no hidden message there, just his brother being an asshole. Without a response, he got up and left the room. Dyne was standing outside and walked with him to the observation room where Chief Dreemurr had been listening in.

He hadn’t been able to work on his own case due to a conflict of interest. The precinct’s interest involved justice without death, whereas Edge expressed interest in finding and tearing apart the fucker that put him out of commission for so long. After he’d calmed down enough to realize that the chief was probably right to take him off the case, he decided to trust his team to take care of it. 

Dyne also wasn’t allowed to work on the case for the same damn conflict of interest. She had tried to secretly work on it only to get written up twice and nearly fired before Edge made her promise not to throw her future away for him. They’d get him, one way or another.

Just because he couldn’t work on the case didn’t mean he couldn’t ask for updates. He knew he’d never get the kind of detailed information his soul craved, he could at least find out if they’d found any leads. 

There had only been a few leads in the last two years, but the fucker had been slippery to begin with. 

Edge and Dyne walked into the observation room to find Chief Dreemurr talking with Harold, one of the many Bun officers at the precinct. 

“Tell me what’s going on with my case,” Edge demanded, pulling the microphone from his shirt and setting it on the table. 

Harold looked over and flinched; he was always a little skittish around the fell-verse officers and Edge couldn’t blame him. He had good reason even if he had never outright divulged it; Edge could tell victim behavior when he saw it. 

“Aside from what we just got from your brother, there hasn’t been much activity on your case in a while,” Chief Dreemurr replied. 

“Why is that?” Red had found something out, something that spurred him to do what he’d done. Whatever it was couldn’t be good, and Edge was going to figure it out.

The chief gave him a look of that same stars-forsaken pity Edge hated so much. “You know we can’t just generate leads, Edge. It takes time and patience to gather that kind of information, and this suspect is good at hiding.”

Edge nodded and glanced at Dyne. She was suspicious about something, too. The way she eyed Harold told him he’d better stop her from cornering him. He might spill secrets out of fear, but Edge wasn’t comfortable with the idea of bullying someone who’d already been through hell. There were plenty of other lackeys around who had to have heard something. 

“What about my brother?” He knew what would happen. They’d have to check his information before they could make much of a call, but if it panned out then he’d have to pay some fine for assault and he’d be a free monster once again. 

Dyne squeezed his arm and left. Off to find out what was going on with his case no doubt. 

Chief Dreemurr sighed and explained exactly what Edge had expected. Red would be held until the validity of the information he gave could be verified. Probably a few days. No more than a week, Edge hoped. 

He left the room and started back to his desk. Before he could make it there, Dyne stalked up to him and grabbed his arm, tugging him along with her. He followed without question; the look on her face alone was enough to convince him she’d learned something.

She pulled him to a secure enough spot where they wouldn’t be overheard and leaned in, tugging at the collar of his shirt to make sure the mic was gone. She nodded to herself and spoke as quietly as Dyne knew how to speak.

“They fucking marked your case cold and practically closed it. I had to hack into the fucking files to see that nobody had done anything on it--not a fucking thing, Edge!--in damn near eight months. No checking up on old leads, no nothing. And the worst part? There were messages sitting read but unfiled from a fucking month ago with information about this asshat Red attacked today. My money’s on Red having sent those messages but nobody here did jack shit with the information.”

Edge’s head spun as he tried to take in everything Dyne had just said. The team he trusted had put his case up because they couldn’t be bothered with it. He knew why. Deep in his soul, he knew exactly why this had happened, and it had everything to do with him being fell-verse while Slate was tale-verse. If it had been the opposite, he thought bitterly, they would have already caught the guy.

Red’s actions made sense now. He had tried to play by the rules, but when he realized that not only was his brother’s case not being worked, the information he’d given was ignored, he’d taken matters into his own hands. 

Edge took a second to breathe. Dyne’s hand squeezing his shoulder tighter than necessary provided a point of discomfort to focus on. He nodded and looked at her. 

“What are we going to do?”

She grinned viciously. “I say we let your brother handle it.”

Edge almost agreed. The second Red was free, he was undoubtedly going to follow whatever extra intel he had. He’d find Slate and probably skin him alive for what he’d done to Edge. There really was no telling if he’d just kill the fucker or turn him in. Either way, Edge was certain a little torture was bound to happen. 

The thought of that little boy standing there clutching a small blanket and watching him with wide, terrified eyes still haunted him. He knew his brother well enough to know that no such distractions would work on him. He also knew Red wouldn’t allow witnesses.

He shivered and shook his head. “Not alone. That boy…” 

He didn’t have to say it. Dyne nodded and squeezed his shoulder again. “Then we make sure the kid doesn’t get hurt, but we don’t interfere. You and I both know the bastard deserves it. Not just because of what he did to you. He killed that girl’s dad, and it wasn’t quick. Who the fuck knows what else he’s done in the last two years?”

He didn’t like this. He wasn’t a fan of murder; never had been. He preferred justice. 

Dyne seemed to get it. “Hey, listen. What if we give the team a week? A week with the intel Red provided today should be enough to at least give us a location, right?”

A week to prove that they were going to bring him to justice. Edge nodded. Dyne was right; they didn’t know who else this guy had hurt in the last two years. He shouldn’t get away with any of it.

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes I feel like allowing myself to follow these random plot trails takes away from main parts of the story. Like, we're all here to see Edge and Stretch grow as a couple, right? So why do I let myself get distracted by Red? Well, it was fun to write anyway. I kind of wanted to explore a little bit more of his past in this chapter, but it didn't fit very well. There are some hints, though, and we'll see more later I'm sure. 
> 
> Also, the most I actually know about how these kinds of processes work is from watching shows like Bones, CSI, and Criminal Minds. I'm 1000% certain it's not exactly realistic, and I'm okay with that.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for your kind words! I feel much better about where this story is headed. I still haven't done a proper outline, but at least I have something of a path between where we are and the end. Progress!

When Edge had told him about what had happened to his socket, Stretch had assumed the guy had been caught shortly after by backup or something. He never imagined that he was still out there, doing whatever it was murderers did, for two whole years. 

Edge had called him back later in the evening and had explained why he’d had to cut their call short so suddenly. He had sounded so tired, especially when he explained that Red would be kept in a cell until what he’d said could be verified. 

They hadn’t talked much on Friday, and the fundraiser at the animal shelter hadn’t been brought up at all.

Stretch wasn’t sure what to do. Saturday morning had crept up on him, and now he didn’t know if he was still going to see some cute puppies with his boyfriend or if Edge needed time to deal with his situation. 

He knew he wouldn’t say anything about it, not a damn word, and he’d be every bit as supportive as Edge was for him, but secretly, down deep in his soul, he would be disappointed if they couldn’t go to the shelter today. Stars, what kind of asshole was he? Edge was always so calm and comforting and had offered to paint with him--something he was growing more and more convinced Edge himself didn’t like doing--just to help him, and this was what he did in return? 

With a sigh, he abandoned his search for a shirt and sat on his bed to text Edge. 

**_Stretch:_ ** _ do we wanna skip the shelter today? _

He swallowed a lump in his throat and hit the send button. 

Instead of texting back, Edge called. Stretch sucked in a breath for confidence before answering. 

“hey, edge.”

“Good morning. Are you feeling okay?” The concern in his voice was heartwarming.

“yeah, i’m good.” He wasn’t sure what else to say, so he just stayed silent for a moment.

Edge hummed. “Is there anything you would like to talk about?”

He knew Edge was trying to urge him to talk about what might be wrong, but there honestly wasn’t anything wrong. Except, maybe, not getting to see some animals today. 

“no, not really. i’m just wondering if we still want to go to the shelter today or if we should go another time.” He shrugged to himself, hoping he sounded cool and collected about it rather than already disappointed. 

“Do you not want to go?” He spoke almost hesitantly, like he was confused or unsure. “We certainly don’t have to, but you seemed excited about this.”

“well, yeah, i mean, i am... _ was _ ...excited to go, but if you need time to deal with what’s going on, then you need to focus on that.” He really hoped he sounded as supportive as he wanted to be. 

Edge was silent for a moment. Stretch closed his eyes and hoped he hadn’t just made a mistake. Would Edge think he didn’t want to spend time with him? 

He cleared his throat. “Stretch, I appreciate you thinking about me. Thank you for being willing to put this off if I needed to. However, I don’t need to, and I actually think it would be better for me to get my mind off of what’s going on. I can’t think of a better way to do that than to see you.”

Stretch’s soul thrummed warmly at his words, and he felt himself blush. “okay. do we still want to go around the same time we had planned?”

“Would you be opposed to going a little early and getting some lunch beforehand?”

A blast of excitement shot through him. “of course not. i’m always down to get food.”

Edge chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind. How about I come get you around noon?”

“perfect.”

The fundraiser was from one to five in the afternoon. Stretch was almost certain they wouldn’t spend the whole time there, but whatever happened, he was happy to get to spend a little extra time with Edge.

They said their goodbyes and Stretch checked the time. Ten o’clock. With a nod, he got up and went back to his closet to find a decent shirt. 

* * *

Throughout Edge’s life, from his early teen years and on, he’d had to put his own personal problems aside as he began volunteering to work with children and families who had been abused. At first, thanks to his age, he wasn’t able to do much other than color with the children and maybe try to get them to talk to him, to ease their fears of the changes their lives were going through. There had been many pitfalls along the way, and he’d learned quickly that trying to force someone to speak was a quick way to get them to clam up even tighter. 

As he grew and his options for helping expanded, the need to keep his own issues locked up tight increased. He couldn’t very well justify getting outwardly angry at an unjust world in front of a child whose fear of anger and the pain that came with it was what he was trying to help them overcome. 

He never expected to get anything in return. He had been volunteering, wanting to help because it made him feel good. And even now as an officer who was often assigned the majority of domestic violence cases because he knew how to handle the victims, he didn’t care about the money. He cared about getting them the help they needed. 

It wasn’t exactly a thankless job. He accepted many a hug, a smile, the look of wary hope in someone’s eyes...they were all the reward he ever expected to get, and that was okay. Seeing them thrive was worth every second, and he never doubted he’d do it all over again if he had the chance.

That didn’t mean that anyone ever stopped to ask him how he was doing. He still had to push his own issues to the side and be what his world needed him to be. 

Not that he was complaining. Not in the least. His work may leave him exhausted, but at the end of the day, knowing he’d done his part was satisfying. 

Dyne would sometimes convince him to go drinking with her or have a movie night or other such bullshit, and maybe she’d pry about how he was holding up, but she knew from personal experience that just because he wasn’t talking openly about his feelings every day didn’t mean he was suffering. Red would listen when he needed to bitch about things, but he had learned to be careful about what he said. Red sometimes took things a little too seriously, and Edge never liked seeing a coworker eye him nervously after he’d talked to his brother.

All the same, when Stretch had offered to put their date on hold because he might need to deal with recent events was...nice. Almost overwhelmingly so. 

He knew how it felt to be cared about. Many people cared about him. Dyne, Red, a few select monsters he worked with, and of course Stretch. And yet, in that one sentiment, he realized how it felt to be cared for. Such a strange distinction that he’d never thought about before. He’d never had a reason to think about it. 

He shook the thoughts from his head as much as he could before finally getting up and getting ready to take Stretch out. His soul was already lurching to just leave, go get Stretch and kiss him hard, show him how much he was appreciated. He couldn’t shake the smile from his face as he got dressed in a simple black t-shirt and jeans.

* * *

During the warmer months, Edge almost exclusively rode his bike. He enjoyed the freedom, especially since he never had to worry about passengers.

He almost texted Stretch twice to see how he felt about riding the bike with him on their date, but in the end decided he would just take his car. As much as he really liked the idea of Stretch clinging to his back, arms wrapped tightly around him, there was the concern of helmets and leathers and other protective gear he was positive Stretch didn’t have. 

With a sigh, he plucked his keys from the hook and went into the garage. He gave his bike a longing glance and made a silent promise that he and Stretch would go for a ride sometime before the summer was over. It was only early June, so they had time. Besides, seeing Stretch beside him with the top down might be just as enticing.

The ride wasn’t long, and soon he parked in front of Stretch’s apartment building. He’d left the top up for now; he didn’t know this neighborhood well enough to feel comfortable leaving his car vulnerable like that for long. He got out, locked up, and went to get his date. 

Stretch answered after only the third knock, his wide grin a welcome sight. 

“hey, edge. you wanna come in for a sec? i’m almost ready.” He stepped back and held the door open wide.

Edge nodded and stepped inside, stopping only to give him a quick kiss before moving to the side. 

He looked delectably goofy. Edge couldn’t help but laugh as he looked over the t-shirt he was wearing. The shirt itself was bright yellow and featured a strange amalgamation of animal and vegetable in the center.

“That is neither a pug nor a potato. Whoever told you otherwise is gravely mistaken.”

He looked down at his shirt for a second. “well, you’re not wrong. it’s a pugtato. like when you mix hydrogen and oxygen and get water; it’s not hydrogen or oxygen anymore--it’s a brand new thing!”

Edge nodded. He couldn’t really argue with that, despite the improbability of a pugtato ever actually existing. 

“Alright, I’ll give you that. Are you hungry?”

“yeah. oh, i need to get shoes. hang on.” He disappeared into his room and appeared a second later by the couch, slipping into the converse Edge was beginning to realize were likely his favorite. Given their color that would probably be bright enough to reflect headlights in the dark, he could see why.

“so where are we going?” Stretch didn’t bother tying his shoes, just jumped up and all but skipped over to stand next to Edge. 

Could he get any more adorable? Edge wrapped an arm around him and didn’t try to talk himself out of giving him another kiss. He accepted happily, leaning in and kissing back.

“I don’t know yet,” Edge said, forcing himself to pull back. As much as he wanted to stay and make out with his boyfriend, they had plans. And, honestly, he was hungry. “There are a few places near the animal shelter, and I thought I would give you your pick.”

Stretch smiled and nodded. “sounds fun.” 

He leaned over and grabbed his keys off the coffee table without pulling out of Edge’s arms, one leg flying out as he nearly lost his balance. Edge held him steady, smirking to himself. The grin Stretch gave him when he stood back up was beautiful, and he couldn’t help but take one more kiss.

Finally on their way, Edge watched Stretch lock the door and took his hand to lead the way back out to the parking lot. 

“no bike?” Stretch asked, looking around.

Edge shook his head and pressed the button on his keys. “No bike. I didn’t figure you’d have the safety gear, and I don’t have extras to loan you.”

Stretch’s sockets went wide when he saw the lights flash on his car. “holy shit. is that your car? really?” He pulled away to walk up to it, reverently touching the dark crimson hood. “this is beautiful. what kind is it?”

“It’s a BMW M4 convertible, twin turbo, 425 horsepower, three liter--”

“bmw works. funny, i get how the physics of the engine work and i can remember silly little facts, but i guess specs like twin turbo and eight speed or whatever are meaningless to me.” He flinched and looked over at Edge apologetically. Edge just shrugged and gave him a reassuring smile; not everyone was into cars and he respected that.  

“it’s so pretty.”

Edge stepped up to him and took his hand again. “Thank you. I’m proud of it. Would you like to drive with the top up or down?”

A sudden spark of excitement brightened his eye lights. “can i do the thing to make it go down?”

Edge smirked, unable to hide a laugh. “Yes, you can.”

He opened the passenger door for Stretch and watched him slide in. He then went around, discreetly checking all four tires as he did, and got in the driver’s seat. After starting the car, he showed Stretch how to put the top down. He did as he was shown and let out a giggle as the windows rolled down and the roof began lifting. He turned in his seat to watch it finish, stowing the roof away in the trunk. The windows rolled back up when it was done.

“that was so cool!”

Edge had only ever seen children so excited about anything, and it made his soul warm with affection to see Stretch so unabashedly delighted over something so simple. 

“I’m glad you liked that. Seatbelt, please.”

Stretch immediately sat forward in his seat and buckled in, and then they were on their way. 

There were four or five different restaurants to choose from along the strip mall across the street from the animal shelter, each boasting a different type of cuisine. Edge parked somewhat near the middle so they could walk to whichever place Stretch decided on. 

“What do you feel in the mood for?” Edge asked. 

Stretch took his time looking at each place and thinking. The way his brow bones rose just slightly and his eye lights brightened told Edge he had an idea. He waited for Stretch to speak. 

“so, you can tell me if this is a dumb idea, but i’ve always wanted to go restaurant hopping. you know, like have an appetizer one place, main course another, and then dessert somewhere else.” He glanced at Edge and swallowed, obviously trying hard to hide his own embarrassment over what might be considered a stupid idea. 

Edge wasn’t sure how he felt about the plan. It wasn’t something he’d ever done before or even thought about. It could be interesting. One thing he was positive of, however, was how proud he was of Stretch for suggesting something like this when it was clear he was struggling with the confidence to do so.

“Where would we start?”

Stretch did a double take, looking at Edge with wide sockets. “really? we can do that?”

“There’s no rule that says we can’t, and we have time.”

He wiggled in his seat. “wow, okay. um…” he rubbed his hands together, phalanges clacking softly, as he looked over the places once again. “what if we start there at paradise bites because it sounds funny and like a good place for appetizers, then go to the fiery dragon because that just sounds cool, then we can get dessert if we want at the honey bear.”

Edge nodded. “That will work. Do you want to put the top up?”

Stretch nodded and happily did as he was shown. 

The first place had an interesting ambiance Edge might liken to a fusion between romantic and abstract. They were seated quickly and given menus. Edge perused his, weighing his options and choosing what he wanted based on the idea that their main course would be somewhere else. He heard Stretch let out a soft, upset noise and looked over.

He frowned. Stretch was hiding his face.

“Do you see anything you want?”

Stretch peeked out over the top of his menu, his eye lights small and scared. 

“i’m so sorry, edge. i didn’t think...i’m sorry.”

Edge closed his menu and gently eased Stretch’s from his hands. “What are you sorry for?”

He swallowed and kept his eye lights down, fingers fidgeting with each other.  Edge put his hand over Stretch’s and gently squeezed. 

“Do you not want to stay here?” 

He shook his head. “it’s not that. the artichoke dip sounds really good.”

Edge waited for him to continue, but after a few minutes it was clear he wasn’t going to. “Please talk to me. What’s wrong?” He ran his thumb across Stretch’s knuckles, trying to soothe. 

“did you...i mean, we didn’t...i swear i’m not this dumb all the time. i’m not.”

He couldn’t stand this. He got up and moved around the table to sit next to Stretch, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him into a gentle hug.

“Stretch, you’re not dumb. Can you tell me what it’s about? Is it the food, did you change your mind about going to different places, or is it something else?”

“something else.”

He was shaking in Edge’s hold. “Okay. Is it the cost?”

He stiffened then, only for a second before his whole body shuddered with a sob. “i’m sorry! i’m ruining this, i know i am. i should have thought about that. i should have said something. i don’t have any--”

Edge pushed him back just enough to get him to look up. “Stretch, please. Take a deep breath and calm down.”

Stretch nodded and did as he’d asked. Calming down was going to take a while, but at least he managed a few good breaths. 

“Now, I need you to listen to me, okay?”

He nodded again, meeting his eye lights.

“Okay. I am taking you on a date. I’m not going to pretend to know how they worked for you before, but this is how it works with me: I am paying for everything. If I thought your idea would be too much for me financially, I would have said so. Alright?”

He’d stopped shaking and leaned in to wrap his arms around Edge, laying his head on his shoulder. 

“thank you. not for paying, although yeah for that too, but for being who you are.”

Edge pressed a kiss to his skull. “Do you feel better?”

His answer was another nod and a squeeze. He let Stretch cling to him for a while, gently rubbing his back, until he pulled away on his own. 

They ordered not long after, Stretch getting the artichoke dip with different types of chips and crackers, and Edge getting some stuffed pepper slices. They shared their spoils and talked about Stretch’s job search. The topic seemed to help calm him a little more, perhaps knowing or proving that he was working toward gainful employment.

Once finished, Edge paid the bill and took Stretch’s hand as they left and walked over to the next place. 

“i won’t freak out this time,” Stretch said with a sad smile on his face.

Edge squeezed his hand. “You didn’t freak out before. We’re learning here, Stretch. We both learned that we need to discuss things like money before a date so you know what to expect. That’s not a bad thing by any means.”

Stretch squeezed back and stepped a little closer, leaning in to kiss Edge’s cheekbone. “thank you.”

The Fiery Dragon was decorated liberally with tapestries, statues, paintings, and other forms of Oriental art. Some of it had been gotten from recent trades with humans, but the majority of it was monster-created. The soft lighting and music in the background completed the ambiance. 

They had to wait a moment for a booth, and Edge took the time to watch Stretch take in the place. He was slowly getting back to that carefree joy from before, and Edge was happy to see it.

Once seated, they both took a minute to look over the menu. 

“hey, can i get sushi?”

Edge grimaced. “I won’t stop you if that’s what you really want.” 

“you don’t like it?”

“I don’t have to like it for you to get it.” He wasn’t about to admit that he used to love it, right up until Doc, Dyne’s wife, made a comment about eating raw fish every night. He never could look at sushi the same way again.

Stretch thought about it for a moment before he nodded. He seemed to realize something then and attempted to hide a wince.

“oh. your friend is a fish monster, isn’t she?”

He repressed a shudder. “Yes, but honestly that has nothing to do with it.” Nothing Edge wanted to explain at the moment, anyway. “She herself enjoys sushi. I am not a fan. Please don’t let that stop you from getting what you want.”

“okay.”

Stretch ended up getting a platter of different types of sushi samples, and Edge went with teriyaki chicken. He declined Stretch’s offer to try any of his, but allowed Stretch to have a bite of the chicken. 

“so, can i ask how your brother’s doing? with everything that’s going on, i mean.”

“Yes, that’s fine. He’s doing about as well as one can expect him to be. Red and jail don’t mix. Surprising, considering how often he was arrested when we were younger.”

Stretch cocked his head to the side. “he can teleport, though.”

“There are handcuffs that suppress that ability.” 

The idea seemed to hit Stretch hard. His face paled just enough to be noticeable, and he coughed. 

“uh. okay. wow. remind me never to get arrested.”

Edge smirked. “Don’t get arrested. I’m sure dating a police officer will be helpful in that endeavor.”

He shrugged. “i dunno. having an officer for a brother didn’t seem to help red.”

Edge didn’t like where this was going, but he did need to say something about it. “He has mellowed out quite a bit since I joined the precinct. The worst of it was when I first joined the academy and he was struggling to help me pay for schooling.” He cleared his throat and smiled. “Besides, you hardly seem the type to break the law too often.”

That earned him a snicker. “no, i guess not.”

“I’m sure as soon as he’s cleared and his fine is paid, the chief will be asking for his help. Pro bono, of course, but I don’t see Red minding too much considering the situation.”

“what do you mean? how would he help?” Stretch leaned forward, watching Edge curiously as he stuffed another sushi roll in his mouth. 

“I told you that my case had been marked cold, right?” Stretch nodded. “Okay, and did I tell you that someone--likely Red--had sent in a tip about a month ago?”

That time he shook his head. “no.” He spoke through a mouthful of food. Edge suppressed the urge to chide him. “why didn’t they open the case back up?”

Edge shrugged. “I’m not sure, but when the chief found out, he was livid. I had been hesitant to even bring it up to him because I thought he might have been involved, but it seems he wasn’t. He told me he was going to find out what happened and let me know.” 

“huh. maybe it was just too many people working on it and everyone thought someone else had done stuff? that happens sometimes on the applications my brother processes and it always frustrates him.”

His innocence was endearing. “Perhaps. Anyway, Red has ways of gathering information. He listens, talks to people, and has been known to place bugs around where it wouldn’t be illegal to have surveillance. I think he may have started when I was very young, but he didn’t get serious with it until I became an officer. He’s sent in numerous tips and was part of the reason I was able to track down Slate so quickly in the first place. 

“Chief Dreemurr isn’t stupid and knows a good thing when he sees it. Red could either be the best ally or a formidable enemy, and I don’t even have to guess to know which one the chief would rather have.”

“yeah. why haven’t they tried to get him to work with them before?”

“Oh, they have. The thing is that he makes a lot more money when he negotiates prices with the government and takes on the occasional private investigator gig. Some of the stuff he does borders on illegal, but it’s not quite enough to actually investigate or stop him. The only reason I know he’ll work with the chief on this case is because it involves me.”

Edge had made Red promise that he wouldn’t go after Slate by himself or commit any crimes trying to find him. Red had only promised he’d give the precinct a chance to handle it before he stepped in, so in Red’s eyes, he hadn’t gone back on his word. 

After he’d spoken to Asgore, Edge had made it a point to get another promise out of his brother; he had to give the precinct one more chance. Red had agreed, and Edge really hoped the chief and his team did their part, because there wasn’t a chance in hell anyone would be able to get a third promise.

“oh, man i’m stuffed.” Stretch sat back and put his right hand over his sternum. “what are we gonna do about dessert? i’m not sure i can eat anything else.”

Edge smiled and pushed his empty plate aside. “I don’t think I could, either. What if we go to the shelter and play with some animals, then we can discuss dessert later?”

His smile was answer enough, but Stretch nodded and sat forward again. “i like it. are they gonna have all kinds of pets there? like fish and hamsters and gophers?”

Edge snorted. “Gophers?”

He just shrugged. “they’re animals.”

“Maybe so, but certainly not pets. And no, they only have the facilities to take in dogs, cats, and some caged animals like rabbits. Are you ready to go?”

His previous levels of excitement were nearly completely restored, and Stretch looked at Edge with brilliantly happy eye lights as he nodded. “yep!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: this story just passed 200 pages in my google docs file. I don't know why, but I'm proud of that.


	18. Chapter 18

The animal shelter was just across the street from the restaurants. When they left The Fiery Dragon and Edge asked if they could walk, he didn’t complain one bit. He was never a fan of taking long walks on the beach or any other crap like that, but taking a leisurely stroll across the street with Edge was different. 

Not to mention the finish line had puppies. 

The whole area in front of the shelter had been set up with tables selling trinkets, toys for the animals, treats for monsters, and other various items. They took their time looking through the wares, hands linked together the whole time, and Stretch couldn’t help but laugh at the plethora of toy bones for the dogs. 

“do you think if we get one of these they won’t chew on me?” he asked, holding up a rawhide bone the size of his radius. 

Edge smirked. “You’re welcome to give it a try.”

They got the bone. After a few more minutes of looking around, they finally walked inside. 

Stretch couldn’t help but bounce on his toes a little. The whole place smelled like animals, and it was wonderful. The reception area, usually a wide open space, had been set up with various cages, each holding an animal or two. The cats were thankfully separated from the dogs, each on either side of the room. In the middle were smaller cages with a few rabbits, mice, and hamsters.

He looked at Edge. He wanted to go right for the dogs, but he also wanted to make sure Edge was okay with that. If he wanted to see another animal first, he wouldn’t deny him.

Edge lifted their hands and kissed his knuckles before gesturing with his other hand. 

“Where should we start?”

“dogs,” he blurted.

Edge chuckled. “Lead the way.”

Stretch immediately started over and was greeted by a young bunny lady with a handful of colorful flyers. Her name tag said Becky.

“Welcome to the Angel House,” she handed him one of the flyers, “Are you looking to adopt today?”

“um...no?” he looked over at Edge. 

“No, we’re here to support the shelter.”

She smiled brightly. “How nice of you! You’ll find all kinds information on how to support the animals.” She noticed the bone Stretch was holding. “Are you hoping to donate the chewing toy?”

Stretch nodded. “yeah, edge told me we might get to play with some of the dogs?” He couldn’t help but grip Edge’s hand tighter in anticipation. He squeezed back gently.

“Oh, yes! We like to rotate the dogs in the viewing room to give them all a chance to play and get some much-needed stimulation. There are a few in there now if you’d like to go in, or you can wait for the next rotation. They’ll be done there in about ten minutes.”

He looked at Edge again. “can we wait?”

“Of course.” He turned his attention back to Becky and gestured toward the toy. “Do we give this to you then, or can we let the dogs fight over it in the viewing room?”

The poor lady looked a little shocked. 

Edge sighed. “I don’t mean to say that we would encourage the dogs to fight. I simply mean it would give more dogs an opportunity to enjoy it rather than choosing one to give it to.”

She seemed relieved. Stretch had never doubted him. “Yes, of course. Um, let me find out for you. Go ahead and say hello to the dogs we currently have out.”

They both nodded before she walked away. 

Stretch walked up to the first cage and knelt down to see two cute little puppies, both mostly white with a few black splotches, wagging their stumpy little tails and standing up on the side of the cage. 

“aren’t you guys just adorable?” He read the sign on the cage. “look, edge, their names are hansel and gretel and they’re brother and sister. it says here they were rescued from a puppy mill.” He stuck his fingers through the bars of the cage and laughed as they immediately began chewing on him. “hey, you have sharp little teeth, buddy!”

“They are definitely cute.” Edge did the same, letting the other puppy chew on him for a moment. He laughed and tried to pet her, dodging attempts at more chewing.

Becky came back with an answer then, and they both stood up. “Yes, you can take the toy in the room with you if you’d like, but they said if you do that, they would recommend leaving it there as kind of a community toy.”

Edge nodded. “Then that’s what we would like to do.”

They took a few more minutes to look at the other dogs out in the reception room. One was an older black dog with white and gray fur surrounding his muzzle. He had been dropped off at the shelter after having been hit by a car. Becky told them they assumed the owner couldn’t pay the vet bills and so had thought they were doing the right thing by dropping him off, assuming he’d either be euthanized or cared for. They had been right, but Becky said not all dogs were as lucky as Jack. 

“He will very likely spend the rest of his life at the shelter,” she explained.

“why?” Stretch asked. “he’s so calm and cute.”

“He is, but he’s old. Most people don’t want to adopt older animals. Not only is it a financial commitment since older animals tend to have more vet bills, they’re already old so they won’t be around as long as a younger animal.”

Stretch looked at Edge. “we should adopt him.”

Edge’s sockets widened for a second before he recovered. “i won’t stop you, but he’ll be your responsibility.”

Stretch snickered. “oh, i wish i could. i’d give you a good home, jack.” He let the dog lick his fingers. “sadly i can’t afford it right now, and you deserve a family who can give you everything you could ever want.”

“They’re getting ready to rotate the dogs. I’ll be right back.”

Stretch stood up and beamed at Edge. “thank you for this. i’m having so much fun.”

Edge leaned in and kissed his cheekbone. “You’re more than welcome. I’m glad I get to share this with you.”

He could feel himself blushing. He had reminded himself at the beginning of the day that Edge was not Chad, and that things were going to be different. He’d had a few pitfalls along the way, but for the most part he was proud of himself for keeping the two separated.

It still felt so strange to have Edge kiss him in the middle of a crowd. Any public show of affection with Chad was reserved for when he felt the need to show who Stretch belonged to. It was dominance, not him being sweet or loving. He knew that now, but at the time it hadn’t seemed like it. 

The way Edge held his hand and kissed him didn’t feel like anything more than affection. There was no claim of ownership to any of it; it was purely to show Stretch that he cared. 

He knew that, and it felt nice. 

Becky came back again and asked if they were ready to go in the visiting room. Stretch nodded excitedly and all but tugged on Edge’s hand. They followed her through a couple of doors, then she smiled and let them in.

The room was absolutely huge with lots of room for the dogs to run, a few other people waiting, but there were no dogs.

“where…?” Stretch was confused.

“We’re getting them ready. They’ll be here in a moment.”

They both nodded, and Stretch clung to the bone toy. He knew it was probably stupid, but he felt like he was on a roller coaster inching his way to the top. Soon the dogs would be released and he’d be having the time of his life. He really wanted them all to just run at him and tackle him to the floor. If that was how death would claim him, he was ready.

As it turned out, there were only three dogs and they were all brought in on leashes. Disappointing, but at least there were still dogs. 

“They have to make sure the dogs they bring in are good with people and good with each other,” Edge explained. “If they just let them all loose, they could get into fights and that wouldn’t be good for their health or their chances for adoption.”

It made sense. The dogs were all introduced. The first was a golden retriever named Oliver. He was three years old and in prime health. The second was a black and white beagle name Maggie who was a little on the older side but sweet as could be and still as spunky as her puppy self. And, finally, there was Rocky, a corgi with adorably floppy ears.

The dogs were then let off their leashes to run. Stretch couldn’t contain his excitement as Oliver ran at them and barked. 

Stretch immediately went down onto his knees and started ruffling the dog’s fur, letting him lick his face, and offering the bone. Oliver wasn’t too interested in the bone, preferring to play with Stretch. 

Edge took the bone for him so he could have both hands free to play. Together they ran around, narrowly avoiding collision with another dog. 

Yeah, he needed a dog. He hadn’t felt this happy in a long fucking time. It would give him an excuse to get up even on his worst days. He’d have a reason to get out of the house and someone to chew on his toes when he tried to sleep in. 

Oliver jumped up on Stretch, knocking him down to land on his ass. 

“Stretch?” Edge called out.

“i’m okay!” he cried out, giggling as Oliver tried to climb over him. “i’m fine!” 

It became evident really fast what Oliver actually wanted. He managed to push Stretch down a little further before he started to hump him.

“excuse you!” Stretch objected. “my boyfriend is  _ right there _ . are you trying to get me in trouble?”

Edge pushed Oliver off and helped Stretch to his feet. “Are you okay?”

Stretch was all smiles. “i’m fine. i wasn’t cheating, i swear. i can explain.”

Edge chuckled and gave him a kiss. “I’ll forgive you this time only. Don’t let it happen again.”

The tease was clear in his voice, and it only made Stretch feel more content. 

“I’m so sorry!” One of the workers had Oliver back on the leash almost immediately. “He hasn’t done that before. Are you okay?”

“yeah, i’m good. can he stay?”

The worker, a nervous-looking bear monster, looked around for a second. “I’m sorry, but no. There are kids here, and if he knocked one of them over, it...could be bad.”

Stretch nodded sadly. “okay.” He knelt down to give Oliver another good scratch behind the ears. “remember this, ollie. sometimes it’s better to ignore those urges.”

Edge snorted, and Stretch beamed at him as he stood back up.

They stayed and played with the other dogs for a while. Stretch was even able to convince Edge to get down with him as they played tug-of-war with Maggie the beagle. In the end, none of the three dogs seemed to be very interested in the bone toy they’d brought, but the workers assured them that it would be well-loved. 

They decided to stay in the room when the dogs were rotated.

“you’re okay staying in here longer?” Stretch asked. He just needed to make sure. 

Edge nodded and kissed him again. “Yes, a while longer is fine. I know you’re not too fond of cats, but I would like to see them before we leave.”

Stretch had no problems with that. He’d even be willing to hold a cat for Edge at this point, although he hoped Edge didn’t ask.

A few other people joined them, a family of bunny monsters with a teenage child and a few stragglers. 

Stretch noticed the teenager eyeing them strangely. He shifted uncomfortably, realizing that he was holding Edge’s hand again. He swallowed and decided he wasn’t going to pull away. If the kid had a problem with it, he could deal. 

But then something unexpected happened.

“Officer Edge?” the kid asked, stepping forward. The mother placed a hand on his shoulder.

Edge looked over and smiled. “Hello. Michael, right?”

The kid smiled so brightly it was nearly blinding. “Yeah! You remember me?”

“Of course I do. How could I forget? These are your parents?”

“Yeah. Hey, Mom? Dad? This is Officer Edge. He...um…” He turned and looked back at Edge, something like discomfort and concern on his face. 

Edge stepped forward and held out his hand. “I helped facilitate his adoption.”

The mother’s face brightened and she immediately shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Margo, and this is my husband, Charlie. Michael has been nothing but a blessing to our home.”

Charlie agreed. 

“Did you get married?” Michael asked, looking Stretch over again like he was deciding if he was good enough for Edge.

Edge squeezed his hand. “No. This is my boyfriend, Stretch. Stretch, this is Michael. I helped him transition from a bad home to a good one.” He winked at the kid, who just smiled like he was relieved.

Stretch could only guess what that meant. He wanted to know, but he wasn’t going to push when it was obvious that neither Edge nor the kid wanted to say anything specific about it. 

“it’s nice to meet you.” 

“Are you being nice to him?” Michael narrowed his eyes like he was trying to be scary. In all honesty, it kind of worked.

Stretch nodded. “i like to think so.”

Edge wrapped an arm around him and kissed the side of his head. He blushed hard but ignored the urge to make himself small and try to hide. 

“Do you really think I’d date someone who wasn’t nice to me?” Edge asked.

Michael shrugged. “No, I guess not. Oh, look! They’re bringing the dogs in! Mom, do you think Duke will be with them?”

Margo squeezed his shoulders. “I really don’t know, honey.” 

Stretch was more than thankful for the distraction. He and Edge both turned to see four more dogs brought in, all on leashes like before. They were all introduced before being let off the leashes. None of their names were Duke.

Stretch and Michael got Edge down on the floor with them to play with two husky puppies, each a year old. 

“Have you met Duke?” Michael asked, looking between the dogs and Edge.

“I don’t think I’ve had the privilege. Tell me about him.”

“He’s a pit bull, and he’s like a million years old, but he’s a good boy.”

Stretch snorted. “what does a million year old pit bull look like?”

“Like he needs a good ironing, I’m sure,” Edge replied. 

Michael laughed and pushed Edge playfully. Stretch caught the way he stiffened and his eye lights sharpened. Michael must have noticed, too, because he shot him an apologetic look. 

“He’s kind of grumpy, but he’s really sweet when you give him time to like you. The first time I met him, he tried to bite me.”

Edge nodded. “That’s probably why they didn’t bring him in, then. Was he a rescue?”

“Yeah, he was abused a lot when he was a puppy. I guess we have that in common, huh?” Michael looked up at Stretch then, uncertainty and fear in his eyes. Stretch smiled. 

“then he deserves someone who knows what it’s like and how to treat him well.”

Edge squeezed his hand. 

“Yeah, he does.” Michael looked up at his parents. “We can still ask to see him today, right?”

Charlie nodded. “We’ll make sure you get to give him his present.”

Michael got excited again and looked over at Edge. “Mom helped me make him a blanket! It’s out in the car until we can see him, but it’s blue with little bones on it.”

Edge nodded. “An excellent gift. Are you going to try to adopt him?”

“Yeah, but we need to put up a fence in the backyard first, and we need to be able to afford a fence before we can do that.” He looked down at one of the puppies chewing on a length of rope and smiled sadly as he pet it. “Dad says even if Duke is adopted before we finish, we can still get a dog. I kinda hope he doesn’t have to stay here that long, but I also hope he waits for me. Is that bad?”

Edge reached out and pet the puppy with him. “No, it’s not bad. You’ve developed a bond with Duke, and you know you’ll be sad if you can’t adopt him. At the same time, you’re mature enough to know that you want what’s best for him, even if what’s best is a quicker adoption.”

Michael sighed but nodded in agreement. “Yeah.”

Watching Edge interact with Michael was enlightening. Edge had said he’d had experience working with monsters who had been abused, but there had always been a small part of him that wondered if he’d just been saying that or if his experience was more limited than what he’d been trying to get Stretch to believe. Meeting one of the children Edge had rescued and seeing the look on his face--pride and patience and an almost parental affection all mixed into one--made Stretch want to kiss him. 

Eventually the dogs were rotated again, and Edge and Stretch decided to move on. As much as Stretch wanted to stay for the rest of forever, it simply wasn’t possible. They’d been there just over two hours, and time to see the cats was limited. 

“Hey, Officer Edge?” 

Edge turned to see Michael standing in the doorway. “Yes?”

“Um...can I…” He stopped and wrung his hands together for a long moment before he rushed forward and threw his arms around Edge. 

Edge’s sockets widened as his body stiffened, but he relaxed quickly and gently patted Michael’s back. 

“I never got to say thank you.”

Edge smiled softly and hugged him back in earnest then. “You’re more than welcome, Michael. I’m happy to see that you’re doing well.”

The kid pulled back then and grinned up at Edge. He didn’t linger; he ran back into the room where his parents were waiting for him. Edge looked after him for a moment longer before he turned and took Stretch’s hand once again. 

Stretch smiled up at him. “he’s a cute kid.”

Edge nodded and squeezed his fingers. “He’s come a long way. It always does my soul good to see things turn out well for the children. Thank you.”

“me? for what?” He couldn’t think of anything he’d done to warrant a thanks.

“For not asking. I know you’re curious about the situation, but he was scared enough to even see me.”

“scared? he was happy to see you.” 

“I know. There was a fear there that I know he tried to hide. I think seeing me brought up memories he didn’t like. I haven’t seen him since his adoption was finalized, about three years ago.”

Stretch was a little amazed. “do you remember all the kids you help?”

Edge led him over to the cat cages and smiled as he teased a small orange kitten with a fingertip. “As much as I’d like to say that I do, I don’t. Michael’s case was...extreme.”

Stretch waited for him to say anything else, but instead he continued to silently play with the kitten. He didn’t push it. Instead, he chose to stand back and watch his boyfriend as he got a worker to open the cage and let him hold the kitten.

“This is Molly. She’s ten weeks old and full of spit and vinegar.”

Stretch snickered at their choice of words. He wasn’t sure if piss could be considered swearing, but he supposed spit worked. 

Molly mewled as Edge held her to his chest. She began to rumble loudly as he pet her. 

“she’s cute,” Stretch admitted. She had stripes only a few shades darker than her overall color, blending in well. He noticed the tips of her paws and tiny little tail were white. 

“Yes she is. Listen to that purr.” Edge scritched under her chin and laughed when she tried to bite him. “You have sharp teeth, Molly.”

Okay, maybe cats weren’t all that bad. He reached out to pet her as well, marveling at how soft her fur was. 

“Did you know that kittens can purr even as newborns?”

Molly mewed again, a little louder, and shoved her head up against Edge’s fingers as he pet her again. He chuckled and scritched the top of her head. 

“i didn’t know that. you want to adopt her, don’t you?”

Edge smiled. “Yes, but it would be unfair of me to adopt a kitten this young. They need far more stimulation than I could provide. I’d have to get two or three of them.” He seemed to deliberate for a moment before he shook his head. “They’d tear my house apart.”

“so get an older kitty. like this one?” He pointed at a scraggly looking beast with long, wild fur and a half an ear and an eye missing. “oh, he’s ugly.”

Edge gently placed the kitten back in its cage and stepped forward to look at the cat Stretch had pointed out. 

“This is Muffin,” the young dog monster who was helping them pointed out. “She was brought in with a couple of other cats who had been living out on the streets. We think she’d been out there a while, maybe even her whole life, and she has the battle scars to prove it.”

Edge held his hand up to the cage and let the cat sniff him. After a moment, she rubbed against the bars and his hand, a purr already rumbling from her chest. 

“She craves attention,” the worker added. “She’s a good girl, but she’d require a bit of work.”

Edge nodded. “Can I hold her?”

“She doesn’t really like to be held? I can open the cage and you can pet her, though.”

“Yes, please.”

Edge spent a few minutes petting Muffin and scritching her ears. As Stretch watched on, Edge gave him a smile. 

“Do you still think she’s ugly?”

He shrugged. “eh. she’s sweet, though.”

He met his eye lights, something sad in his. “She can’t help it if she’s scarred.”

Oh. Oh, fuck. How was he going to fix _that_ mistake? Stretch swallowed and stepped closer. 

“i’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He kissed the side of Stretch’s head again. “Would you like to pet her?”

He just nodded and reached in to gently pet the cat. He sucked in a breath and decided he needed to say something more. 

“hey, edge?”

Edge hummed as he stepped around him to another cage, this one with two Siamese cats grooming each other. 

“i hope you know i don’t think you’re ugly.”

Edge glanced at him and shrugged. “You can think whatever you like.” 

He watched Edge play with the cats through the bars of the cage. He wanted to think of something to make this up to him, but what? He swallowed and let the worker know he could close the cage after withdrawing his hand. Muffin was nearly asleep now, curled up in her cage with a paw draped gracefully over her nose. 

He supposed she was kind of cute. 

Regardless of how cute the cat was or was not, the point was that he was certain he’d upset Edge. Maybe he hadn’t. Maybe Edge’s self-esteem was stronger than that, but he knew exactly how he’d feel if their situations were reversed. 

“you’re actually really good-looking.”

“Can we not talk about that right now?” Edge asked, not looking at him. 

Stretch nodded. He was sure Edge didn’t see it. 

Neither said much more to each other for the remainder of their time at the shelter. They played with a few more cats and the rabbits, Edge talking and laughing with the children gathering around them. Stretch watched him, feeling something sour in his soul. He’d messed this up. He wanted to believe he’d have a chance to redeem himself, but all he could think about was what would happen after he’d made a mistake with Chad. 

Mistakes were not forgiven easily. Not when their relationship was stable and Chad knew he was hooked. He had to work to get Chad to even talk to him. Sometimes he’d have to wait hours before Chad decided he’d been punished enough. And then, whatever he’d done would be brought up when he least expected it, sometimes even months later. 

Stretch told himself this was different. Edge was preoccupied with the animals and the kids; he wasn’t punishing anyone. 

They left not much later, and Stretch felt relief hit him hard when Edge took his hand. 

“Did you have a good time?”

He nodded. “yeah, i did.”

“Good. What do you think about dessert?”

He couldn’t stand this. Before he could stop himself, he was blurting out, “i know you said you don’t want to talk about this, but i’m really sorry. me and my stupid mouth are gonna fuck everything up.” 

Edge stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and pulled Stretch close to him, heedless of the monsters walking past them. “What are you talking about?”

“the cat! and i said it was ugly and i didn’t even think because you’re scarred, too, but i don’t think you’re ugly, not at all, i think you’re really sexy and hot and i think i love you!”

Holy fuck, had he actually just said that out loud?

Edge was smirking at him. A few seconds later he was laughing. Stretch looked around and tried to shrink himself down as Edge pulled him off to the side where they weren’t in anyone’s way. 

“Oh, Stretch. Do you honestly think I was offended that you called the cat ugly?”

“you were sad when you said it couldn’t help that it was scarred.” He couldn’t shake the look in Edge’s eyes, he had looked actually hurt.

“Yes, because looking the way she does is why she’s still in the shelter. She’s a very sweet cat, but nobody wants to adopt her because she doesn’t look like a typical cat. I never thought you were alluding to my own scars. Stretch, look at me.” He gently placed two fingers under Stretch’s chin. 

He looked up and met his eye lights. 

“Neither you nor your mouth are stupid or fucking anything up. I do appreciate knowing you think I’m sexy, though.” He kissed him gently. “Thank you for talking to me. I’m very proud of you; I want you to know that.” Another soft kiss. “And I know you think I’m ignoring the last thing you said, but I’m not. I’m just not sure how to respond without hurting you.”

Which meant he didn’t love him back. That was okay. Right? He could handle that. Probably.

“I know I want to continue dating and moving slowly. I want to kiss you and tell you that you’re beautiful, especially when you were playing with the animals and laughing. So beautiful. Maybe that’s love; I honestly don’t know. Is it okay if I ask for more time to figure it out?”

Stretch couldn’t have asked for a better boyfriend. “yeah, of course.”

Edge gave him one last kiss. “About dessert?”

“i could spend a little more time with you, i guess.”

Edge nodded and pulled back, keeping hold of his hand, as he began leading the way down the sidewalk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had a list of things that needed to happen in this date, but I wasn't sure if it was going to be Edge's or Stretch's voice. One of the things I kind of wanted to expand on was Michael's backstory. Probably a good thing I couldn't with how long this shit already got! 
> 
> Here goes if you're interested at all. Be warned there are of course mentions of child abuse and the nasty shit that can happen. A special warning for mention of accidental overdose. 
> 
> Edge got called on a domestic violence call and ended up arresting the dad. While trying to convince the mother that she was going to be okay, she kept acting really suspicious like she didn't want him to look at her kids. He thought it was fairly normal for a woman who had likely been beaten by her husband for some time to not want a man around her children. It wasn't until he got a call a week later to try to talk to some kid who was having a meltdown at the high school that he uncovered the truth. 
> 
> The kid was Michael's older sister who was freaking out about needing to go home, but she insisted she wasn't sick and that nobody could call her mother. School security had caught her trying to leave, and given that she had a record of skipping class had taken her to the office. Edge recognized the kid's last name and asked if it had anything to do with her dad being arrested. She gets all teary and nods, saying that her younger brother is at home today with their mother. He tries to reassure her, that her brother isn't in any danger, but she gets mad and tells him he doesn't know shit. He doesn't give up, though, and eventually coaxes out of her that it wasn't just their dad who abused them. She tried to take the brunt of it to save her nine-year-old brother, but with him at home alone with their mother, she was terrified of what she might get home to.
> 
> Edge knows he can't take the kid home, but he promises that he'll go by the house and check on her brother. He does, and when he gets there he notices the mother's shirt has a few blood droplets on it. She says she cut herself, but there's no evidence of blood on her white fur. He doesn't believe her and says that he needs to see the kid before he can leave. The mother gets upset and demands a warrant. Given that the situation involves the immediate welfare of a child, no warrant is needed. Edge is understandably suspicious of the mother and calls in backup to help him get inside and help the kid. Dyne shows up, and together they get inside and find that the mother had stuffed Michael into a bin, sealing the lid and nearly suffocating him. 
> 
> She is arrested and the kid is taken to the hospital. There, it's discovered that he has many injuries, some old enough to be from his toddler years, from all the abuse he'd sustained. Both Michael and his sister are placed into foster care, and the sister, who had been forced to do drugs with her parents, gets a hold of somethings she shouldn't and accidentally overdoses. Michael starts self-harming, and Edge pushes the system to get him into counseling as soon as he can. He checks in frequently, overseeing the process, and helping him to eventually get placed with an actual family.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few notes before we get started: 
> 
> I had only three requirements of this chapter, and only one happened. I'll explain myself in the end notes if you're at all interested in my babbling.
> 
> A few of you pointed out how fast Stretch is moving, and he really is. I don't think it's his fault, though. He's confusing the kind of normal infatuation someone has for a partner who treats them right with full-on love because he already has unrealistic expectations of what love feels like. I don't know that this was ever made clear, but Chad was his first relationship. Before him, Stretch was focused more on taking care of his brother and then school. He wasn't looking for a partner after his dad died, but Chad sensed vulnerability and took advantage of it.
> 
> We jump around a lot between povs in this chapter and I'm sorry if it's confusing or annoying. Please let me know if it is so I can adjust!
> 
> Enjoy!

“How did it go?” Blue asked Sunday afternoon as they ate lunch together. 

Stretch sighed happily. Blue had missed that look on his brother. 

“it was nice. we had so much fun. he even let me choose where to go eat and didn’t tell me i was an idiot for wanting to try out different places. we first went to…”

Blue listened as Stretch told him about his date with Edge the day before. He didn’t skip parts where he had felt like he messed things up, but before Blue could even interject to say he hadn’t done anything wrong, he was talking about how Edge had reassured him. It was nice, thinking about Papy being with someone who lifted him up instead of trying to tear him down. 

“i think i love him, blue. i really do.” He sighed dreamily and took a bite of his sandwich. 

Blue wasn’t surprised. “He’s been very good to you so far, but Papy?”

He hummed, looking at Blue to show he had his attention. 

“I don’t want you to take this the wrong way. Is it possible that you only  _ think  _ you love him because of the things he’s done for you?”

That happy smile slowly faded, and Blue couldn’t help but feel bad. He really needed his brother to think about this. 

“you mean you think i don’t love him? why, because i’m too jaded to know what it feels like to be in love?”

Oh boy. He could feel an argument coming on and he almost wished he’d kept his mouth shut. 

“I don’t mean that at all. What I’m saying is that you’ve been craving someone to love and care for you—truly care for you—ever since that bastard showed his true colors. Edge obviously cares about you very much, but I can’t help but feel that you’re rushing into this because you want it to be your happily ever after.”

To his surprise, Stretch didn’t try to defend his feelings. Instead, he sucked in a breath and nodded. 

“i accidentally blurted that I love him last night. he said he’s not sure if what he feels for me is love but asked for more time. do you really think i’m moving too fast?”

Blue nodded. “Just a little bit.” He held his fingers up, thumb and forefinger held an inch apart. He then reached across the table to put his hand over his brother’s. “I want you to be happy, Brother. You know that. But, I’ve seen enough in my life to know that it’s when people rush things that they get hurt.”

“thanks, bro. i know you’re just looking after me. i think i’ll skip the being a dumbass part and just listen to you this time.”

Blue smiled and squeezed Stretch’s fingers. “You were never a dumbass, but I am happy to know my advice will be heeded. I love you, Papy.”

“love you too, bro.”

“Now, tell me more about your date!”

“after we left the shelter, we went to this little place called the honey bear for dessert. we ended up sharing a banana split and oh, it was good. we talked some more and made out a bit when he took me home.”

The blush on Stretch’s cheekbones was adorable. Blue smiled happily and listened on as Stretch talked about Edge and how happy he was.

* * *

Edge was sitting at his computer at work, filing some paperwork on a case Dyne had recently closed, when the phone on his desk rang. The ID screen showed it was Chief Dreemurr. 

“Yes?” he answered.

The sound of growling in the background wasn’t good, especially since he knew immediately who it belonged to.

“Edge, get your ass in here,” Chief Dreemurr barked.

“Yes, Sir.” He hung up and sighed to himself as he made his way to the office.

He didn’t bother knocking. As soon as he walked in, both Red and the chief were yelling at him.

“tell him he’s off his damn rocker if he thinks i’m sittin’ this shit out!”

“Your brother is being unrealistic. I cannot allow him out on the field with our officers!”

The two officers at Red’s side were eyeing him warily, one of them holding a bloodied rag to his arm. Seems they tried to hold him back. 

Edge held his hands up. “Okay, stop. Both of you.” How was it that he was giving the chief orders? 

The room went silent, and Edge took a moment to look Red over. He hadn’t seen him since Friday, and then he’d still been behind bars and pissy as all hell. Despite obviously threatening the chief and wounding an officer, however, he seemed untouched himself. 

“Red, are you seriously asking to follow the officers out on an actual case? How many times have I told you that can’t happen? If it were possible, I would have much preferred you at my back over someone I wasn’t sure I could trust on so many occasions.”

“i ain’t askin’ for shit, bro. i’m tellin’ these assholes that i’m going.” He glared at Edge, and Edge only found humor in how the officers beside him seemed to flinch.

“It’s against the law!” Chief Dreemurr exclaimed. “Not even considering the fact that you were arrested in the first place for assault, then you go and bite my officer after threatening to hurt me. You are not nearly mentally stable enough to--”

“Chief,” Edge interrupted. He shook his head and hoped he didn’t continue or argue about being stopped. 

“oh, you wanna talk about my mental stability?” Red asked, an unsettling smile on his face.

“Nobody wants to talk about that,” Edge said, stepping up to Red. “This isn’t a topic for debate, Brother.” 

Red looked up at him and despite his outward anger, Edge could see the hesitation in his eye lights. They were dimmer than normal, and the shadows under his sockets were darker than he’d seen them in years. There wasn’t a doubt that he hadn’t slept well in his cell, and that was likely adding to his inability to see reason. Not that Red wouldn’t have argued about this on a good day, but getting through to him may be difficult.

“You aren’t going. You  _ can’t  _ go, because this precinct has a reputation to uphold. If any member of the public were to see you out there doing what you do with the blessing of our chief, do you know how quickly their faith in us would disappear?” He hoped knowing that this was important to Edge would help Red see past his anger.

“boo fuckin’ hoo.”

Edge growled. “Do you know how much this job means to me?” he snapped.

Red looked up at him again, a little uncomfortable with the sudden change in Edge’s tone. He glanced at the officers to his side and shifted his weight. “yeah.”

“Do you want me to lose my job and therefore everything I have worked toward my whole fucking life? Because that’s exactly what will happen if you don’t stop with this bullshit.” That was probably pushing it. The chief himself had often praised his work and had said many times he was lucky to have Edge on his team. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t do what was necessary, and Edge had seen a few officers lose their jobs for less than what Edge was facing. Public image wasn’t everything, but it was a lot, and people losing faith in their police meant losing faith in their safety and taking matters into their own hands. 

He could see in Red’s face how much he wanted to keep his charade going. He wanted to say he didn’t give a flying fuck just to prove to the chief and his minions that he was unshakeable. Edge knew him too well. 

He was silent for a moment, no doubt trying to think of some scathing thing that wouldn’t come back to bite him in the ass. Eventually, his shoulders sagged and he sighed heavily.

“no, i don’t want that.”

“Then do us all a damn favor and stop pushing this. I know you want to help. Hell, you’re not even being banned from helping. Help all you want, but for fuck’s sake, stop acting like anyone owes it to you to let you murder someone because they hurt me.”

Red growled but nodded. Edge stepped back and looked over at the chief. He nearly winced at the proud, almost paternal look on his face. 

“So it’s settled then?” Chief Dreemurr asked. 

Edge eyed Red, watching him for any of those tells that he was planning shit he shouldn’t be. 

“i guess it’s fucking settled. i’ll sit at a computer like a good boy and give you the info i have to get the guy.”

There were no tells. He was being truthful. Satisfied, Edge nodded. 

“Now, if you don’t mind, I think it’s about time Nathan got some medical attention.” Chief Dreemurr stood up and ushered them all out of his office. 

“Are you going home, then?” Edge asked as he and Red walked toward his desk. 

Red nodded. “yeah, looks like. can’t fuckin’ believe you’re on their side, bro.”

Edge sat down at his desk and had to look up slightly to meet his brother’s eye lights. “I’m on the side of peace and justice, just as I always have been. I know you lack the faith in our system that I have, but have faith in me. I know that with our chief backing this, justice will be served.”

“i’ll give ‘em a chance.” Red thrust his hands into the pockets of his dirty jacket and sighed. “you know i’d much rather be the one doing the serving, and i wanna serve the fucker’s head on a fucking platter.” He shook his head. “the shit i do for you, ya dick.”

Edge smiled. “A chance is all I ask. Now go home and eat something, raid my kitchen if you need to, and then take a nap. You look like you need it.”

“gee, thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Red disappeared only a second later. Edge turned to get back to his work but felt eyes on him. As he looked around, people who had been staring at his interactions with his brother hastily looked away and made a show of doing their jobs. He huffed to himself and did his best to ignore it. 

* * *

Throughout the week, Edge and Stretch texted and talked on the phone, getting to know each other through talk of their pasts, what they liked and disliked, and their hopes and dreams.

Stretch had only ever talked about his dreams with chad twice, maybe three times, but never had it felt so validating as it had during a simple phone call with Edge. Edge didn’t say he was living in the clouds or that what he wanted was impossible. Instead, he said that Stretch’s goal to one day be a part of the team that sent monsters into space was amazing. 

They all knew the humans had done it, sent astronauts out to the moon, but even with the open trade routes and communication they’d made with humans in the last decade, their scientific advancements had been kept a strict secret. Monsters were close, but their technology just wasn’t capable of supporting life outside the atmosphere. 

Stretch wanted to help change that. He had ideas and theories but no way of testing them. His first step, he knew, was to go back to school. It was yet another thing he’d let Chad take from him, convincing him that he had more pressing obligations close to home, and college was so much time and money, and there was no guarantee that he’d even be able to get a job once he graduated, and...and so many things.

Edge had only encouraged him, saying that while school was hard and it did take him away from Red, it was the best thing he’d done for his both himself and his brother. 

“I’m not trying to convince you either way,” Edge had said softly. “Just know that whatever decision you make is one I’ll be there to support.”

Edge talked about his case and the advancements they made. It seemed they’d take two steps forward only to fall back a step when they seemed close. By Thursday they discovered that one of the officers on the case doubted Red’s intel and hadn’t followed orders, allowing Slate to get away once again. 

Red had nearly killed her when he found out. It was only by the grace of the Angel (and Edge knowing his brother too well) that he’d been caught staking out her place in the middle of the night. He’d been questioned, threatened to be taken off the case, and fined for illegal surveillance before being released. 

In turn, the officer had been taken off the case and put on probation for obstruction of justice. Edge had never doubted his chief, and while he would have preferred she be fired, he didn’t question the decision.

“do you think he knows it’s because of you that he’s being tracked now?” Stretch asked. 

“I’ve no doubt he knows,” Edge sighed. “William, the monster my brother attacked last week, is out of the hospital and we have nothing to hold him on. He was questioned, but didn’t say much of anything helpful. I would be surprised if he didn’t tell Slate the moment he was released.”

“do you think he’ll try to get to you?” Stretch was already concerned, thinking of what could happen if this murderer went after his boyfriend. Stretch himself wasn’t a fighter by any means, but he would give a good try if it meant protecting Edge. 

“No, I don’t think he’s that--” He stopped abruptly, and the line was silent. 

“edge?” He could hear Edge breathing, so he knew he was still there. “are you okay?”

Edge cleared his throat. “Yes, I’m fine. I’m sorry, but I need to call you back.”

“okay.”

“We’re still on for Saturday, right?” He sounded nearly desperate. 

“yeah, of course. are you sure you’re okay?” His fingers gripped his phone harder. Something had happened; he was sure of it. 

“I really am fine, Stretch. I just thought of something that may help Red. I’ll explain when I see you later, okay?”

“sure.”

They hung up, and Stretch slumped against the back of the couch. 

Edge had told him that, because he planned the last date, it was Stretch’s turn. Not entirely certain of his ability to think of good date ideas, he’d turned to the internet and decided to combine a picnic with a hike since he liked food and Edge liked hiking. He still wasn’t sure it was a very good idea, but Edge seemed to like it. 

With a sigh, he got up and went to do some dishes. Ever since Edge helped him out by cleaning almost his whole house, he’d been determined to keep it at least relatively clean. Less messy than usual, at least, and he’d been doing a good job of it. 

He still hadn’t found employment, but he wasn’t about to give up. He’d reached out to the agency where his brother worked and had been granted assistance to help him out financially until he was able to find work. 

As he washed dishes, he thought about Edge and the awful situation that was his case. He really hoped that whatever Edge had thought of would help catch the bad guy.

* * *

Red tried hard to ignore the phone as it rang for the second time. It was on the table, a whole four feet from him, and he’d have to get off his ass to answer it. He was in the middle of shit, dammit!

He was listening to some tapes he’d recovered from one of his surveillance spots near where Slate and William used to meet. Like the absolute dumbasses they were, they still met there on occasion but their timing was sporadic and Red had yet to pinpoint a pattern.

Finally, the phone fell silent. He turned the volume on the speakers up just a touch and rewound the tape to see if he’d missed anything. It didn’t seem so. Random bullshit about kids and school and fucking someone’s mom who liked it raw up the asshole. 

He groaned loudly when the damn phone rang again.

“fine! jesus fucking christ!” He hefted himself off the chair and walked over, slapping the phone as he picked it up and answered. 

“what the hell do you want?” he yelled.

“I want you to answer your fucking phone!” Edge yelled back.

Well, yeah, he probably should have at least checked to see who it was before he deemed them unworthy of an answer. Still, he grumbled back, “i answered.  _ now  _ what do you want?”

“Does Slate know anything about me or the people I spend my time with?”

“uh...you, yeah. he knows where you work for fuckin’ sure. people you hang around with...dunno. why?”

Edge growled. “How the fuck do you not know? Find out! I need to know how likely it is that he knows about Stretch.”

He hadn’t heard his brother this worked up about anything since he damn near drank himself to death. 

“first of all, i ain’t a mind reader. second of all, what i do know is gotten either through the sweet, dulcet tones of screaming while i interrogate or whatever i get through my surveillance tech. since your boss is a fuckin’ pansy who won’t let me actually question anyone, i gotta rely on what my tech gives me, and i ain’t heard shit about stretch.”

Edge let out a string of creative curses that would have made Red himself blush if he claimed to have anything like decency anymore. He might have laughed if he wasn’t actually worried about him. 

He had already thought about what Slate might do once he found out Red and the precinct were after him again. He thought about his brother, the possibilities of him being ambushed in the dead of night, but he realized he wasn’t all that concerned. Yeah, the idea of his brother being attacked was unsettling, but Red had taught his brother well, and he’d seen Edge in enough fights to know he could handle himself. Unless the fucker brought his son along, there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d let his guard down a second time. 

Red had also thought about Slate trying to run his own surveillance, learn about his enemy and all that shit. If he could figure out Edge’s weaknesses, he could get at him that way. Too bad for him, Red had his brother’s back regardless of how futile he thought Edge’s efforts were. 

“we’ll get ‘im before he even has a chance,” Red assured.

“What do you have to keep an eye on him? Nothing intrusive, but I need to know he’s safe.”

Oh, Red had been hoping this day would come. He sauntered over to his experiment table and tapped a wire. “and you’re sure your sweet-cheeks won’t mind you spyin’ on him?”

Edge huffed. “I said nothing intrusive, Red. Besides, I plan on telling him what I intend to do and he’ll have the chance to say no.”

Apparently Edge forgot all about those lectures he used to give about how surveillance of any kind was intrusive. Didn’t matter to Red; he was just happy to be able to put some of his babies to work for once. 

“how ‘bout you make dinner ‘n’ i’ll come show you what i got ready to go?”

“That would be fine. Any requests?”

“somethin’ edible.”

“How very helpful. I’ll see what I can do.”

They hung up and Red gathered a few things together. After setting them gingerly in a box and making sure everything else around his place was secure, he teleported to his brother’s.

* * *

Stretch was absolutely certain he’d done something bad.

From the moment Edge showed up at his place to pick him up for their date, he’d been quiet. He still kissed him and held his hand, but Stretch could tell he was upset. The set of his jaw and the way he held his bones--tensed like he was ready to fight at a moment’s notice--gave him away. 

He’d asked twice if he was okay, and each time was met with a curt answer of ‘I’m fine.” He didn’t dare ask again, even if it was so painfully obvious that he wasn’t fine. 

Stretch wanted to believe that it wasn’t him. If it was him, Edge would talk to him and give him a chance to make it better. He tried so damn hard to believe that.

They were halfway down the path toward the spot they’d have their picnic, and Edge hadn’t said more than ten words to him, none of them while they were actually walking. His hands were in his pockets and he looked around as if he were searching for something. 

A way out of this date, probably. 

“hey, edge?”

He grunted in response. 

“um, can we stop for a second?”

He turned then, concern in his eye lights. “Are you okay?”

“yeah, i’m good. i think. i’m actually...um…” his head felt a little light and it was starting to get hard to breathe. He sucked in a breath and closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them again, Edge had stepped closer. He still kept his hands to himself.

“You’re what?” 

He didn’t exactly snap the question, but it was sharp and impatient. Stretch felt himself flinch. If he could only think of something he’d done, he could apologize and hope to get Edge’s forgiveness, but nothing came to mind. 

Edge sighed and suddenly Stretch found himself pulled into a hug, the bag with their lunch squished between them. Edge’s arms were hard and tense around him, holding like he wasn’t sure he wanted to be so close. Stretch took a moment to bury his face into Edge’s shirt and inhale his spicy scent. 

All too soon, Edge pulled away. “Now can you tell me what’s wrong?”

He may have tried to sound patient and caring, but it didn’t work. Stretch had never heard him talk like that, as if he just wanted the matter over and done with. It ate at him, only convincing those dark thoughts that they were right; he’d done something to piss Edge off and the only reason they were even on this date in the first place was because Edge was too good a person to cancel. 

“i’m sorry,” he managed. He swallowed and tried again. “i don’t know what i did, but i’m sorry. we can go home if you want. you don’t...you don’t have to stay out here with me.”

Edge sighed again, and this time Stretch watched him walk away a few steps. One hand rested on his hip while the other covered his face. He mumbled something to himself, quiet enough that Stretch could hear his voice but couldn’t make out any words. It sounded like he was chastising something or someone. He finally turned back around and stepped up to Stretch, his eye lights much calmer.

“I’m sorry, Stretch.” His voice was calmer, too, his tone comforting like he was used to. “You asked me twice if I was okay and I said I was fine, but the truth is that I’m not fine. I don’t like this.” He gestured to the woods around them. “Being out in the open with you like this.”

Stretch flinched again. He wished he could have the control to stop doing that, especially when Edge’s face fell, concern and something near panic made his eye lights shrink. 

“No, Stretch, listen.” He stopped and looked around again before a low growl sounded in his chest. “Fuck, I can’t do this. Can we go back to the car?”

Stretch nodded and turned without question to make his way back down the path. Along the way, he toyed with the idea of just teleporting back home. It would save Edge the trouble of having to take him home. Then again, he would probably come by anyway to explain himself, and Stretch would have no choice but to listen to him justify why they weren’t good for each other and why they shouldn’t see each other any more. May as well just get it over with. 

Once they reached the car, Stretch only waited for Edge to unlock the car but not for him to open the door. He got in and set the bag down by his feet. He almost wanted to stomp on it. There was no way he’d be able to eat much after this anyway. Instead, he turned to see Edge slide into the driver’s seat and shut the door. 

“I’m sorry,” he started. 

Stretch shrugged. “don’t be. you feel how you feel and i couldn’t change that even if i wanted to.” He tried to be brave, but in reality he was terrified. What did it mean that someone as good as Edge, who honestly cared about him and supported him, couldn’t stand to date him anymore? 

“No, Stretch, I need you to listen to me.” He reached out to take Stretch’s hand. He tried to pull back, but Edge held tightly. “Please listen. I am so sorry about today. I know how it must seem, but I am not upset with you. If circumstances were different, I would have really enjoyed a walk and a picnic with you, but as it is there was nothing relaxing about that. I felt like we were being watched.”

Stretch looked at him then. “watched?”

Edge nodded. “Yes. It’s entirely possible that I’m just being paranoid, but a thought occurred to me when we were talking the other day. When I told you I needed to talk to my brother?” 

Stretch nodded. “yeah?”

“You asked me if Slate might come after me, and I’ve no doubt he’s not dumb enough to do that. Going after someone I care about, however, is something I wouldn’t put past him.” He gently rubbed Stretch’s knuckles with his thumb. “We don’t know if he even knows about you, but Red does know that he’s been trying to figure out what my weaknesses are. You’re one of them, Stretch, and I can’t...I can’t even think about him getting his hands on you.”

He felt like he might cry. So many thoughts and questions swirled around in his skull along with concern and fear and relief...He felt a little dizzy. 

“so you’re not mad at me?” he asked carefully. 

Edge shook his head. “No, I’m not mad at you. I can’t express how sorry I am that I made you think I was. I shouldn’t have pushed myself to come out here like this. I should have talked to you.”

Stretch nodded and held Edge’s hand a little tighter. “do you want me to take a shortcut home?”

“No. I need to see that you’re safe, and there are a few other things I need to talk to you about. Can we go talk at your place?” 

“yeah.” 

Edge lifted his hand but stopped short and looked out the windows for a moment. He looked over at Stretch then and smiled sadly. 

“I want to kiss you, but I can’t shake this feeling like I’m going to put you in more danger than you are already are.”

Stretch smiled, trying his best to be supportive. “you kissed me before at my apartment. think you’ll be okay with it when we’re back inside?”

“They won’t be able to see us, so yes.”

He nodded. “then kiss me when we get there.”

Edge smirked back but nodded and started the car. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My requirements for this chapter were as follows: 
> 
> 1) either Blue or Edge talk to Stretch about maybe moving a little fast. Blue felt more natural so that's what I went with. 
> 
> 2) Slate is captured. Fuck, what the hell happened?
> 
> 3) Stretch won't have one of his moments in this chapter. Granted, it's kind of Edge's fault, but I need Stretch to be happy for a whole chapter. Is that too much to ask?!
> 
> Speaking of Edge, remember that he's learning, too. He's had relationships in the past, but none of them were with tale-verse monsters or anyone who was really all that vulnerable. Not only is Stretch vulnerable because he's still healing from abuse, there's this new threat that Edge didn't even think existed until the idea of it smacked him in the face. 
> 
> If he were with someone like, say, Dyne, who is not only fell-verse like him but has proven herself capable of handling her own in a fight, he wouldn't be as worried. But this is Stretch, someone Edge perceives as delicate and defenseless, and Edge isn't sure where the boundaries are between being protective and smothering. He might be overcompensating by avoiding any chance of Slate or his lackeys seeing him being lovey-dovey with his boyfriend. 
> 
> Asking Stretch to come stay with him until Slate is caught is probably on the side of smothering, but that doesn't mean the thought hasn't crossed his mind. Of course, surveillance is probably also smothering, and we'll see what Stretch thinks of that idea in the next chapter :D


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes I look back on these stories that were all supposed to be oneshots and think to myself, "where did i go wrong?" But like, not wrong in a bad way, y'know? 
> 
> Anyhow, enjoy an update!

The moment the door shut behind them and the bag with lunch was set down, Edge pulled Stretch in and kissed him hard. Stretch pressed into him, his hands scrambling to hold him close and grip his shirt. They deepened the kiss together, tongues pressing together and tasting each other fervidly. 

Edge would never forget the look on Stretch’s face today. He had made a mistake by fooling himself into believing that he was in control enough to go through with their date. He hadn’t wanted to disappoint his boyfriend, but in hindsight he realized he should have explained everything up front. Not doing so had led Stretch to doubt their relationship. 

He had enough doubts as it was; he sure as hell didn’t need Edge pulling that kind of shit.

The need to make Stretch believe in him again drove him to hold him tighter, kiss him wilder, and push him back against the door. Their bodies pressed together, and Edge could only think of their first night together, how he’d fingered Stretch to orgasm in much the same position they were in now. Stars, how he wanted to do that again. He wanted to see Stretch’s face as he came, so fucking beautiful and pliant beneath his fingertips. 

He broke the kiss and took a small step back, just enough to put a little bit of space between them. He needed to breathe, to get his body back under control. 

“edge?”

He looked up and his fading willpower nearly crumbled right then and there. Stretch’s eye lights were blown wide with need, his sockets lidded; he was the picture of lust. 

“We shouldn’t do this. Not right now.” Not yet, was what he meant. He wasn’t sure how far Stretch would let him go, but he did know he wasn’t about to put a permanent mark on him until they’d talked about it and he was one hundred percent sure he wanted it. 

Stretch nodded and sucked in a breath. “yeah, you’re right. damn you and your biological functions.” He leaned in and rested his forehead against Edge’s shoulder.

Edge snickered and kissed his head. “You have no idea how much I want to continue.”

He looked back up then with a sly smirk on his face. “oh? no idea?” He glanced down for a moment and a gorgeous blush bloomed over his cheekbones. “i’m pretty sure i’ve got an excellent idea.”

Edge couldn't help but look as well. Unsurprisingly, the crotch of his pants was glowing  a dim crimson where his manifested magic pressed against the fabric. “Yes, well, you’re damn tempting.” He lightly touched Stretch’s cheekbone, sliding the tips of his phalanges along the smooth bone just under his socket. “And so fucking beautiful.”

The color darkened. “stop it, you’re making me blush.”

Edge smirked. “I know.” He leaned in and captured a few small kisses. He pulled back again and cupped the side of his face. “Stretch, I am truly sorry about this afternoon.”

Stretch smiled at him and shook his head, reaching up to put a hand over his. “you’re stressed. i mean, yeah, i wish you would have told me what was going on earlier, but at least i know now.”

He was just going to forgive him as easy as that? The kiss was one thing, but to actually forgive him and move on was another. 

“As true as that may be, I hurt you.” He leaned in and touched his forehead to Stretch’s. “I would love to promise that I’ll never do it again, but I--”

“hey, it’s okay,” Stretch crooned. “you’re not some perfect, flawless superhero, edge. you’re entitled to fuck up from time to time, just like everyone else. and yeah, promising you’ll never do it again wouldn’t be awesome, because you probably will, but what if you say you’ll try to do better next time?”

Edge smiled. How was this monster so good? “That’s a promise I can feel comfortable making.”

Stretch kissed him and pulled back. “just so you know, edge...i don’t take promises lightly. please don’t actually promise that if you don’t think you can keep it.”

He’d learned from his brother to never make a promise he can’t keep. While he himself didn’t see why the word held so much value, he understood that it simply did to some people, and it seemed Stretch was one of them. 

He nodded. “Thank you for telling me. Learning from my mistakes and trying to do better in the future is something I can absolutely promise to do.”

Stretch beamed at him. “so, what else did you want to talk about?”

Right. Edge cleared his throat and stepped back. He took Stretch’s hand and moved over to the couch, pulling him gently down beside him. 

“I told you in the car that I’m worried about Slate knowing how much you mean to me. If he knew, and he came after you, I’d never forgive myself.”

Stretch’s hand tightened in his. “would he kill me?”

Edge hesitated for a second. “I honestly don’t know. It would make more sense to me, were I in his shoes, to take you as a hostage of sorts to get any charges against him cleared.”

He looked confused. “but you can’t make that decision.”

“No, I can’t. But according to some information my brother was able to dig up, he blames me for everything--nearly being caught in the first place, having to essentially be on the run for the last two years, and now this renewed investigation.”

“okay, so he blames you and somehow thinks that getting to you through someone you care about is a good idea. why not go after your brother?” Stretch looked up at him, brow bones furrowed.

Edge smirked. “To say that Red is homicidal when it comes to Slate is an understatement. William--the monster he attacked--probably told Slate that Red’s gone past insane and to stay away from him.”

“you mean red would actually kill him?” He sounded upset. 

Edge wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him in. “If Slate were to go after him, yes. He wouldn’t hesitate and claim it was self-defense. Considering what Slate did to me, I don’t think anyone would question him.”

Stretch nodded. “but red wouldn’t just go after him?”

“No, but I’ll be honest with you, the only reason he won’t is because of the repercussions. He’d be sent to prison, and because circumstances are what they are at this point, I’d lose my job.” He nuzzled against Stretch’s head and decided he needed to move this conversation along. He didn’t want to get stuck talking about his brother. Red hated being talked about to begin with, and he really didn’t want to risk scaring Stretch with stories of how fucked up Red really was. 

“Like I said before in the car, though, we’re not even sure if Slate knows about you yet. I want to have hope that we’ll catch him before he has any clue, but with the way my team seems to enjoy ignoring orders lately, I’m not exactly putting my faith in that.” He shook his head. “What I would like to do is put up some equipment so I can keep an eye on you. Make sure you’re safe.”

Stretch pulled away and looked at him incredulously. “you want to spy on me?”

“No. No, Stretch, I don’t want that at all. I just want to make sure you’re safe.” He tried to reach out, but Stretch moved back, pulling his arm out of reach. 

“yeah, you said that, but what about...i dunno, like my privacy and shit? i like being able to walk around my house naked from time to time and not worry about someone seeing it.”

Edge had to stop himself from making a comment about having already seen him naked. That wasn’t the point and he knew it. He sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. 

“What if it was just--”

“no,” Stretch interrupted, shaking his head. “you can get mad all you want, but if i have a say in this at all, then i say no.” He looked at Edge then, his eye lights small and scared. “do i have a choice?”

Edge nodded immediately. “Of course you do. I would never force this on you, Stretch. I do wish you would reconsider; maybe something outside your apartment, like a doorbell camera or motion sensors outside your windows.”

“why can’t you just be happy calling me everyday? i mean, i get it, okay? i get that you want to make sure i’m not kidnapped by the bad guy or whatever, but what are the chances of that actually happening? you can’t even tell me if he knows i exist for sure.” 

He stood up and wrapped his arms around himself, taking a few steps away as he did. “i’m glad i mean that much to you, edge, but i just got my privacy back. do you know what it was like, having him know about and question every move i made? what if i let you do this and then i have a friend over? are you gonna ask me who they are and what they were doing here? are you gonna ask if i’m fucking them? i don’t want that. i couldn’t handle that.”

Edge closed his eyes for a moment. Of course Stretch would have a hard time with this; he had been so stupid for not even thinking about what Stretch had gone through before just deciding this was the best option. He stood up and settled his hands on Stretch’s shoulders. “I didn’t think about that. I won’t push this any further, okay? No cameras, no mics, nothing. Is it okay if I call you a little more often to check in?”

Stretch smiled softly and nodded. “yeah, that would be okay.”

He rubbed his shoulders lightly with his thumbs. “Thank you. And for the record, I would never question your intentions in having a friend over. It would be highly hypocritical of me, considering I occasionally invite friends over myself. Will you do me a favor, though?”

His sockets narrowed. “what is it?”

“Will you pay attention to your surroundings when you go out? Let me know if anyone suspicious talks to you or asks you strange questions?”

Stretch relaxed then and nodded again. “yeah, i can do that.” He stepped a little closer and wrapped his arms around Edge. “thank you.”

Edge hugged him tightly. “For what?”

“for caring about me. for not making me do something that makes me uncomfortable even though i know you really want to.” He moved back just enough to give him a small kiss. “for being such a good guy.”

Edge smirked. “You don’t need to thank me. It’s important to me that you’re able to trust me.”

He smiled and kissed him again. “i’m thanking you anyway, because it’s important to me that you know you’re appreciated.”

His soul warmed at those words. “Alright; I suppose that means you’re welcome, then.”  

“good.” He pulled out of the hug and walked over to where the bag had been set by the coffee table. He picked it up and peeked inside. “so, are you hungry? we can’t exactly have a picnic, but we could still do lunch. if you have time, that is.” He reached in the bag and pulled out a slightly crumpled sandwich. “they’re not as pretty as they were before, but i’m sure they’re still edible.”

“I have plenty of time. My day was planned around spending time with you, and that’s exactly what I’d like to do.”  He walked up next to Stretch and looked in the bag. They had packed sandwiches, a few baggies of various fruits and some chips, and some water bottles. Nothing looked too damaged, and the bag was designed to keep their food through a long hike.

They went to the table and ate their lunch as they talked. Neither wanted their day to be spent focusing on Slate, so they steered clear of that topic for the time being. After lunch, Stretch broke out a deck of cards.

It may not have been what they had initially planned, but they were together. Edge ended up staying longer than he had expected, but he sure wasn’t complaining. Instead, he and Stretch made dinner together.

They found themselves on the couch toward the end of the evening, Stretch all but in Edge’s lap as they kissed slowly and deeply. Hands wandered, feeling out spines and sensitive ribs, holding each other as close as possible. 

Stretch pulled back first, his face flushed as he panted and his lidded sockets begged for more. 

“we need to stop,” he breathed.

Edge nodded and touched his pale orange cheekbone. “Fuck, you are so damn gorgeous.”

He smiled and stole another kiss. “no, see, that’s not helping.”

Edge chuckled and pulled back, putting a little more room between them. “I had a wonderful time with you today, Stretch.”

“same. i know you weren’t planning on staying all day with me, but thank you. it was fun.”

They both stood up, and Edge gathered his things. He put his shoes back on and then pulled Stretch into a hard hug. 

“Stay safe,” he said softly.

Stretch nodded. “i will. call me whenever. if i don’t answer, don’t freak out right away, okay? i might hear back from a job and have an interview or something, so...i dunno. i guess just don’t come crashing my door down over a missed call.”

He smiled and gave Stretch another kiss. “I’ll do my best.” He was glad Stretch had said something, but he was still fairly certain he’d panic a little if Stretch didn’t answer when he called.

Stretch pulled back and patted Edge’s chest. “call me when you get home?”

“Alright.”

He managed to pull himself away after one last kiss and left. He waited to hear the sound of Stretch locking the door. Satisfied, he nodded to himself and went home.

The next morning, Edge called his brother to let him know there would be no surveillance. Red was surprisingly calm if not disappointed.

“‘course he don’t want that shit,” he grumbled. “you should’a just let me set shit up without tellin’ ‘im anything. would’a been easy.”

Edge sighed. “I would never do that to him; I want him to be able to trust me.”

“yeah? and who says he can’t trust ya? you could’a denied knowin’ anything about it. for fuck’s sake, bro, you’d think i never taught you how to lie.”

He pinched his nasal ridge and closed his eyes for a second. Dealing with Red often pushed his patience. “And when he found out it was my own brother who was spying on him? What would he think of that? He’d never believe I had nothing to do with it, and you know it. Regardless, it isn’t happening, so whatever you’re planning you can just stop it right now.”

Red chuckled. “oh, so  _ now  _ it’s spying. gotcha. ‘sides, i ain’t plannin’ nothin’.”

“I don’t believe you. I want your promise, Red. Promise me you will not bug his apartment or the surrounding area.”

That earned him a loud groan. “fuck, why can’t ya just trust me?” he whined.

Edge laughed. “I trust you when I know you’re not lying to me. Right now is not one of those times.” His hesitation to make the promise along with that special tone in his voice gave him away. 

“fine. i promise i won’t bug your boyfriend’s apartment, inside or out. you happy now, asshole?”

“As happy as can be expected, yes. Thank you, Brother.”

“yeah, don’t fuckin’ mention it.”

Edge smiled to himself. The affection in that sentence wouldn’t likely be noticed by anyone else, but Edge heard it. 

* * *

“He did what now?” 

Blue’s tone was cold and far too calm. Stretch closed his eyes as he felt his soul sink. He was on the phone with Blue, talking about his date with Edge the day before. He hadn’t planned on mentioning anything about Slate or what Edge was afraid of, but he realized that he felt like he owed Blue honesty after all the times he’d kept quiet with Chad. 

Even as guilty as the thought made him feel, he should have known better than to say anything about what Edge had suggested about cameras. 

“i told him no, and he said he wouldn’t do anything.” He hated how small his voice was. He wanted to sound confident and sure, but instead it was the opposite. 

Blue huffed. “Oh, and I suppose you just believe that he’ll listen to you? I so wanted to like him, Papy, but this is pushing it.”

Stretch swallowed and tried to gather his courage. “you weren’t there, bro. you didn’t see his face when i told him--” 

“No, I wasn’t there,” Blue interrupted, “and I didn’t need to be. I can’t even believe he would suggest such a thing. No tale-verse monster would do that.”

Now that was just ridiculous. “blue, tale-verse monsters do worse all the damn time. this guy they’re after is tale-verse; he murdered at least one person that i know of and tried to kill edge. this has nothing to do with him being fell-verse, and you know it.”

Blue sighed. “What would you have me do? Just ignore the fact that my brother, who has already been through hell, is dating someone who wants to watch his every movement twenty-four-seven? You can’t deny that’s not normal.”

“no i can’t deny that and i’m not trying to. what i am saying is that i trust him; if he says he won’t do it, then he won’t do it. end of story.” 

He really wanted to believe that this was just a bump in the road, that Blue would learn to trust that Stretch had learned his lesson and he wasn’t just going to lay down and take whatever Edge wanted because he was nice. He believed Edge because he’d already proven that he was the kind of person who kept his word, not because he himself was so desperate for love he’d trust anyone who fucked him right. He couldn't see Blue understanding that anytime soon.

“anyway, i guess there’s really no point in trying to convince you since you’ve already made up your mind. i’m tired. gonna go nap for a while.”

“Wait, Papy--” 

“nah. love you, bro.” He hung up and set the phone down on the counter with more care than he needed to. He felt empty. All he wanted was for his brother to have a little faith in his decisions. He already knew he’d fucked up in the past; he didn’t need that fact thrown back in his face every time Blue didn’t like something he did. 

Whatever. Maybe this was what he deserved, his punishment for not listening years ago when Blue tried to tell him he was being an idiot.

With a long sigh, he took the phone and shuffled back to his bedroom. The door shut with a soft click and he let himself fall onto the mattress. Maybe some sleep would help him feel better.

* * *

The next week passed quickly for Edge. He called twice a day to check in on Stretch, once in the morning before he left for work and once in the evening when he got home. None of the calls lasted long; they didn’t need to. He only needed to make sure Stretch was still safe.

He and Dyne had a standing lunch appointment every Wednesday. They went to a small restaurant close to the precinct, and there she would give him all the gossip he’d managed to avoid. He didn’t mind hearing it from her; she cut out the bullshit where most people in the office would take three hours to tell a twenty-minute story if he let them. She would also make sure he was kept up to date on the case, letting him in on information about members of their team or snippets of intel that didn’t make it into a report he could read on his own.

Saturday was his day to spend with Stretch. Edge was still uneasy showing too much affection in public, but neither he nor Stretch let that stop them from enjoying the day out. Stretch was adamant that he understood and was not upset when Edge wouldn’t kiss him unless they were at either of their homes. Their date went well, and afterwards they spent nearly an hour making out on Stretch’s couch while a movie played on unwatched in the background.

Sunday was Edge’s day to relax. He still wasn’t sure how to accomplish that, but he was working on it. He had no planned commitments, and barring any unexpected visits from his brother, he was going to go to the new bookstore and look for a novel Stretch had recommended to him, and then he was going to spend the rest of the day reading it. 

He was not going to think about Slate or how his lack of involvement in the case was feeling more and more like a punishment. He felt left out of the loop, even with Dyne and Red doing their best to keep him informed. He should be able to get all the information he needed from those reports or from the team himself, but no. It was almost like his team was giving him a big ‘fuck you’ for having it opened again. 

Well. He wasn’t going to get upset about it. They would feel however they would feel, and he couldn’t do a fucking thing to change any of it. What he could do, however, was give his team a good ‘fuck you’ right back by being as involved as he could be behind the scenes. He remembered everything from the original murder case, some things that had never made it to reports because he hadn’t had a chance to put them there before Slate was found. His team never bothered to ask him about it, so he shared it with Red and Dyne and knew it would make it right back where it needed to be.

Right. He wasn’t thinking about that today. 

With a sigh, he finished putting on his boots and headed out to the garage to get his bike. 

* * *

Hours later, Edge was in his library reading the book Stretch had recommended. It was so far decent enough; a little heavy on the tale-verse politics, but he could see why Stretch had enjoyed it. The sci-fi element was intriguing.

He’d made it a third of the way through the novel when there was a knock at his door. He frowned and looked up; unexpected visitors rarely meant good news. Slipping a bookmark between the pages, he set the book aside and got up to slowly and silently make his way down the stairs.

Whoever it was knocked again, this time with hard, impatient raps. 

Edge peeked out the peephole to see Blue standing on the porch and looking around with a scowl on his face. Stretch had already told him that Blue had taken offence to his suggestion of keeping an eye on him. He debated whether he should open the door or ignore him. 

No, this was Stretch’s brother. He couldn't ignore him without repercussions, and he’d already told himself he would do his part to smooth things over between Blue and himself to make Stretch’s life easier. 

He opened the door and did his best not to scowl back as Blue looked up at him.

“Good afternoon, Blue. How can I help you?”

Blue gave him an obviously fake smile and held out a bag. “I’ve brought your books back. Thank you again for letting me borrow them.”

He took the bag and nodded. “You’re welcome.”

They both stood there for a moment, Edge waiting while Blue stumbled over his own thoughts. Finally, he sighed. 

“My brother trusts you,” he said, looking up and meeting Edge’s eye lights. Whatever pretense of camaraderie he’d been trying to keep up was gone, and now he looked every bit the protective brother. Not exactly threatening, but Edge had to give him points for trying.

“I’m glad to hear that. I’ve worked hard to earn it.”

Blue cleared his throat. “Yes, well, let me just tell you that you have no rights to him. He doesn’t belong to you, do you understand? He may trust you, but I sure as hell don’t, and--”

“Would you like to come in so we discuss this in private?” Edge interrupted. There were no only a few other monsters on the street as of yet, but Blue’s voice was rising closer to a yell with each word he spoke.

He balked, taking a step back and looking around as if he was just realizing how loud he was being. But then he nodded, and Edge stepped back to let him inside. He shut and locked the door, then set the bag of books on the steps to be taken up later before he led the way to the living room. 

“Would you like to continue threatening me, or can I say something first?” Edge asked.

“I wasn’t threatening you,” Blue responded.

“Perhaps not yet, but you were leading up to it. Regardless, I have never thought that I own Stretch. Any part of him he chooses to share with me is a privilege. I know this, and I will do whatever I can to earn and keep his trust.” He honestly didn’t expect Blue to believe him, but at least he could say that he tried. 

“And that includes wanting to watch him without his knowledge? Do you just not understand how creepy that is?” Blue shuddered as if the thought chilled him physically.

Edge sighed and shook his head. “First of all, it would never be without his knowledge. Let’s just say, for hypothetical purposes, that I was planning on putting up surveillance whether he agreed or not. Wouldn’t it be far more practical to just do it without asking permission first? Having been denied, I would be at risk of losing valuable, expensive equipment if he were to search for, find, and destroy something I set up.” 

“You sound as if you know that from experience,” Blue said with narrowed sockets. 

He smirked. “My brother’s experience. And that’s not all. I want him to trust me. It’s very important to me that he trusts me. Again hypothetically, let’s pretend that I want his trust so I can manipulate him as you are so obviously convinced I’m going to do. I asked for his permission to set up equipment. He denied me. If I were to do it anyway and he found out, which he eventually would, that would destroy any faith he had in me.”

Blue was silent for a moment, processing what had just been said. He sucked in a breath and once again met Edge’s eye lights. 

“Okay, so you want to watch him with his knowledge and consent. That’s still creepy as hell. How can you suggest something like that as if it were perfectly normal?”

Edge crossed his arms in front of him. “Do you know the circumstances? Did Stretch explain to you what’s going on?”

“Why does that even matter?” he asked, throwing his hands up. “It shouldn’t matter what’s going on; watching my brother like that is disgusting!”

Ah. His real concern was becoming clearer. Edge shook his head and looked down for a moment. 

“All right. So you think what I wanted to do was to sit in front of a computer all day and jack off to watching your brother mill about his apartment?”

Blue’s face erupted in a bright blue blush. “What?! No, I...that’s gross!”

“Well, it sure seems to be what you’re convinced I would have done.”

“How can you even say that?”

“Because he and I can’t have sex again until we’re both ready for him to be marked permanently. I have urges, he’s beautiful no matter what he’s doing, and--”

“Please don’t finish that sentence.” He held up a hand and shook his head, sockets closed tightly. 

Edge smiled, contemplating going on with that thought until Blue left out of disgust. It really wouldn’t accomplish anything, however. Instead, he took a step closer to Blue and let that particular topic drop.

“Tell me something, Blue. If you had the opportunity to look in on your brother at any time, day or night, without disturbing him when he first moved out of your home after leaving Chad, would it have made that transition easier for you? And I don’t mean some fantastical means of divination; I mean if you could look at a screen and see that he was eating properly, sleeping well, getting out of the house regularly, and so on.”

He could see the appeal on Blue’s face as he thought about it. He frowned and shook his head.

“So you want to make sure my brother is eating properly?”

“No. He says he is and I believe him. What I want is to be able to see if Slate or any of his underlings are scoping his apartment. I want to know if they have him as a target so I have a better chance at keeping him safe. I don’t want to steal his privacy, Blue. I just want him to be safe.”

Blue was quiet again for a long moment. Edge was certain he was either going to disregard what he’d said or blame him for putting him in the path of danger. He couldn’t deny the latter. 

Edge continued, “Stretch and I have come to a compromise. So far it’s been working well enough. He’s allowing me to call him multiple times a day to check on him, to make sure that he’s okay. He’s told me that he’s okay with me being a paranoid asshole about this, because I don’t know what Slate would do if he did get his hands on Stretch. I don’t want to find out.”

“And if it stops working well enough?” Blue asked, looking up at Edge with a hard glare.

“That would only be if Slate is caught or manages to get his hands on Stretch.” 

Blue nodded. “Okay. I still don’t trust you, but I do believe that you didn’t have any nefarious plans for my brother.”

Edge nodded. “I’ll take what I can get. Is there anything else you’d like to discuss?”

“I thought trust was so important to you?” He sounded a little too smug. 

Edge sighed and thought carefully about his words. He wasn’t going to lie, but he didn’t want to deliver the truth too harshly and cause more ruffled feathers either. 

“Yes, Stretch’s trust. He’s the one I’m dating. You are important to him, and therefore I would be unhappy if you and I were unable to get along. That would cause more stress for Stretch, and I’m not interested in being a cause of stress for him.”

Blue’s smile fell, but he nodded. “I can respect that. Thank you for taking the time to explain your intentions to me.”

They walked together back to the door. 

“Maybe next time don’t wait a week to confront me?” Edge suggested. As much as he didn’t care if Blue trusted him, he did want to know if he had issues with the way Edge treated Stretch. He truly wanted to trust that Stretch would tell him if he overstepped boundaries, but he wouldn’t be surprised if there were some hidden ones he wasn’t sure of or if there was something he decided he could live with. 

Blue turned to him. “You’re not angry?”

Edge shook his head. “No. You only wanted to protect your brother, and I respect that.” He honestly couldn’t see himself getting angry about Blue protecting his brother unless he tried to take Stretch away from him. He didn’t feel the need to say so.

“Well, thank you again, Edge.” He held out his hand. 

Edge shook it. “You’re welcome.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oookay, so it's been a minute. Sorry, guys. But, hey, I have the rest of the plot and resolution planned out now! I suppose that's progress.
> 
> Enjoy!

Life was pretty darn good. 

It had been a long while since Stretch could say that with any kind of honesty, but he was starting to feel it again. 

His relationship with Edge was amazing, and it seemed they only grew closer as a couple with each date. He was almost ready for that permanent mark, but something told him Edge would have none of that until Slate was captured. Even if marks didn’t stand out like a beacon to tale-verse monsters, they could still sense them. That meant Slate would be able to use a fresh permanent mark to his advantage. 

He’d had a few job interviews, even a second interview once, but no actual offers yet. Still, he was maintaining hope. Blue said he should go back to school and look for part-time work, but he wasn’t even sure where to start. Sure, he had the degree from before, but that didn’t mean he still remembered everything. He almost felt like he’d have to start over, and that was just too daunting an idea to even think about. 

It had been almost two months since Edge told him about Slate, and nothing much had happened on the case. Stretch wondered how it could take so long to catch the bad guy, but Edge had told him it was actually pretty normal and patience was key. Just because they hadn’t caught him yet didn’t mean there hadn’t been progress. Narrowing down locations was often a painstaking process, especially since they didn’t want to let Slate know that they were figuring him out. 

Stretch did his best to just ignore the whole situation. He did still keep an eye out for anything strange, but he wasn’t about to live his life constantly looking over his shoulder. He’d been there, done that, played the game and won the trophy; he wasn’t interested in playing again, thank you.

Toward the end of August, the community was holding a festival down at the beach to serve as a last hurrah for the summer. Stretch desperately wanted to go; he hadn’t been since...well, since  _ before _ . He was getting better at not thinking the name. He’d always had fun when he was younger, even if he’d always gotten stuck being in charge of his brother and the group of friends Blue would insist had to come along. 

“so, i think i have an idea for our next date,” Stretch said. Edge had called to check on him Monday evening, and he felt it was only a good idea to give him some time to think about it. 

“Is that so?” he replied fondly. “Do tell.”

“you know that end of summer festival they have...um...every year?” He closed his eyes and told himself to stop being stupid. Edge would tell him up front if he had a problem with this; he wouldn’t agree only to chastise him for it later. He wasn’t like that.

“You want to go?” He didn’t sound upset or frustrated. It wasn’t even really a question, just a statement of fact with no real emotion involved.

“yeah. i really wanna go. i guess it doesn’t necessarily have to be a date, but it would be so nice to go with you.” He could see them together sitting on the dock either sipping lemonades or eating various treats. Maybe they could even get in the water. Stretch wasn’t a fan of swimming, but Edge was and he knew Edge would keep him from drowning.

“I would be happy to go with you as my date. It’s this weekend, yes?” His voice was calm and comforting, just what he needed.

“yeah. thank you for putting up with me, edge. i mean that.” He gripped the phone a little tighter, wishing he could hug his boyfriend. 

“I never simply ‘put up’ with you, Stretch. I don’t ‘endure’ or ‘resign myself to’ the time we spend together. I enjoy every moment I get to be with you, and I’m looking forward to this date.” 

His soul warmed with those words, and he grinned into the phone. “me too.”

“Good. Tell me more about your day.”

They talked for a while longer, until Stretch’s impromptu doubt had been thoroughly beaten down by Edge’s patience and care.

* * *

Edge doubted he could be more proud of Stretch. Sure, he had moments of insecurity where he doubted either himself or Edge’s intentions, but they were happening less frequently. And, when they did happen, they didn’t seem to affect him as deeply as they used to. 

Stretch was getting stronger, more sure of himself and their relationship, with each passing day, and it was truly a wonderful thing to witness. 

He never deluded himself into believing that those moments would ever go away completely. He could hope, but the effects of abuse often stayed with a person throughout the rest of their life. Edge was prepared to stay by Stretch’s side and help him through any setbacks he may experience.

After talking with Stretch that morning about what he wanted to do the coming weekend, he spent a few moments appreciating how far they’d come. He wasn’t sure why Stretch doubted he’d want to go to the festival as a date, but the reason didn’t matter. What mattered was that he did doubt it, and he’d been so strong to ask with barely a waver in his voice. Edge might not have even noticed his hesitation if not for that particular tone he took, trailing off the end of his sentence as if he was trying to decide how stupid a suggestion it was.

In truth, it was a wonderful idea. Edge had his own hesitation, but it had nothing to do with Stretch himself, and he sure as fuck wasn’t going to let anyone get in the way of Stretch’s happiness. 

The week passed easily enough. Stretch let him know on Thursday evening that he’d been approached by a cat monster at the store that day who had seemed a little too interested in their relationship. 

“i didn’t feel scared or anything. it was just weird. y’know, like she kept asking me questions about what it was like to date a fell-verse monster. Maybe it wasn’t anything, but you wanted me to let you know.”

Edge nodded into the phone. “Yes, and I appreciate it. Thank you. Did she ask about locations, such as where either of us live, or where we go on our dates?”

“uh, she asked where we went for our last date, but didn’t ask anything else about where we were going next or even when it would be.” He sounded unnerved, like the lack of suspicious questions was more worrisome. 

“That’s okay. Thank you for telling me.”

He’d ask his brother about any cat monsters in association with Slate. He figured he should probably also ask Red to keep an eye on things at the festival and let him know if anyone suspicious showed up.

* * *

Friday morning after his run, as Edge went to call Red, he felt the tell-tale static of electricity and heard the distinctive pop of a teleportation. He glanced around, but the room was empty. 

“Good morning, Brother,” he said loudly. 

“yeah, hey, what’re you plannin’ with the sweet-cheeks this weekend?”

Ah, he was in the kitchen. Edge went in to find Red already digging through his fridge. “We’re going to the festival tomorrow. I was going to ask if you would mind keeping watch as I don’t want to divide my attention.”

Red snorted and shook his head. “you’re such a fuckin’ softie, holy shit.”

Edge frowned. “Will you do it or not?”

He pulled out a container of stir fry and spoke as he shuffled over to the microwave to heat it up. “yeah, i already have cameras ‘n’ shit set up out there; it’ll be easy. afterward, i want you to take your loverboy home with you.” 

“...Okay? Why?”

Red gave him a smirk as he dug out a fork and took his newly-heated meal to the table. It was nice to see he’d regained some manners and wasn’t going to try to eat with his fingers. 

“i got a hunch. oh, and you gotta make some plans over there tonight. you gotta be loud about it 'n' plan like you’re gonna bring 'im home after.”

Edge folded his arms over his chest and glared at his brother. “You promised me, Red.”

He at least had the decency to look a little ashamed. “never said i wouldn’t hack the apartment security system.”

There was always a fucking technicality. Edge pinched his nasal ridge.

“slate’s already got a guy on that, anyway. found a few bugs ‘round his place. ‘n’ before ya ask, no, i didn’t destroy ‘em. figured out how to hack ‘em, though. i wanna use ‘em against ‘im.”

He growled as a pang of fear sliced through his soul. This could only mean that Slate definitely knew about Stretch. “What the hell makes you think he won’t act today?”

Red shrugged. “cuz stretch is goin’ out with his bro today, ‘n’ you’re gonna go have dinner with him tonight. stay with ‘im if you wanna. i don’t give a fuck. but my hunch is tellin’ me they ain’t gonna act until they have enough time to get him and get gone, and they ain’t gonna have that time if they do somethin’ tonight. best to wait ‘til after your date.”

He supposed that made sense. They’d want to be as far away as possible, knowing he’d drop any pretense of not working the case if his boyfriend were to suddenly be involved. 

“Okay. Does Slate work with any cat monsters?” 

“a few, but the fuckin’ psycho stretch talked to yesterday wasn’t one of ‘em.” 

Edge gave him a look, a silent question. Red just shrugged again. He wasn’t going to say how he knew. Fine; he could keep his secrets. He needed to talk to Stretch this morning anyway, already feeling agitated over this whole thing.

“and one more thing, bro,” Red said, a little too seriously. Edge gave him his full attention. “don’t talk on the phone ‘bout bringin’ him home with you. make that plan in person quietly where no little bugs can hear ya. got it?”

He nodded curtly. “Understood.”

Red got up and took the container to the sink. He didn’t rinse it, but Edge supposed it was good enough that it had made it that far. 

“hey, and maybe you wanna remind your chief to remind your people i don’t give away info for shits and giggles. when i tell ‘em somethin’s goin’ down, it means somethin’s fuckin' goin’ down.” 

Edge nodded again. No fuck-ups allowed this time. He couldn’t possibly agree more.

Red gave him a grin and disappeared. Edge sighed and grabbed his phone to call Stretch. It was a bit earlier than normal. He didn’t want to wake him, but he couldn’t wait to speak to him. He needed the reassurance that he was okay. 

* * *

Stretch woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. He opened his eyes just a crack, enough to see that the sun hadn’t even come up yet, and whined. Nobody should be awake before the sun, dammit. 

He reached over and grabbed the phone, sucking in a yawn before seeing who had gone insane enough to call at whatever ungodly hour it currently was. 

He was suddenly awake when he saw Edge’s name. Even as early as he usually called, there was always a little light coming in through the window. Worry bubbled in his soul as he answered. 

“edge? are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m okay.” There was a strong hint of relief in his tone. “I’m sorry to call so early, but I just received some...news. I’d like to come over after work if that’s okay.”

Stretch sat up and rubbed his right socket. “yeah, of course. that’s fine. what’s going on?”

Edge was silent for a few long seconds, and Stretch could only think of the worst possible scenarios. 

“It’s hard to explain over the phone. I want you to know that both my brother and I will keep you safe.”

He felt ice wash over him. “he knows about me.”

“Yes.”

He swallowed and pulled his knees up to his chest. He was really starting to wish he’d said yes to those cameras right about now. 

“what do i do?”

“Red told me you have plans with your brother today?”

“yeah, he’s got the day off and we’re--”

“Don’t tell me. Not now. Just enjoy the day with your brother and let me know when you get home. The only thing I need to know is if you think you’ll be home before I would be able to get there? Sometime around six.”

Stretch closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. He was so stupid not to consider the enemy bugging his place. “can they hear me?”

“I’m honestly not sure, Stretch. You’re going to be okay. I’ll make sure of it.” 

He could hear the determination in Edge’s voice, but all he could think of was someone watching him, studying him. It made him shiver. 

“i don’t know what time blue was thinking of coming back, but i’m sure i can talk him into being out later if i need to.”

“Good, do that. I’ll call you again when I get to work, but please remember you can call me at any time if you need anything, okay?”

“yeah, okay.”

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Stretch clutched the phone close to his sternum with his right hand and wrapped his left arm around his legs. He hated this, feeling so vulnerable and fragile. He was getting stronger, the proof was there in how he interacted with Edge, but he sure didn’t feel it right now. He felt every bit as helpless as he had when he was with...him. The bastard. 

Stretch shook himself and sucked in a deep breath. If Edge was confident that he was going to be okay, then surely he could muster up some of that same confidence. He just needed to remind himself that he was strong and capable, and he could teleport. 

But there were things to keep him from doing that. 

He shook his head again. They’d have to catch him before they could put anything like that on him, and he sure as fuck was not going to make it easy on them. 

He sat up a little straighter and squared his shoulders. He was going to be okay.

* * *

The day with his brother was nice, all things considered. Blue had realized something was wrong pretty quickly by the tenseness Stretch hadn’t been able to ease out of his bones, but he thought he handled the situation well enough. Blue at least hadn’t offered to let Stretch stay with him in the tone that made it all too obvious it wasn’t really a request. 

Instead, he’d asked if Stretch was going to be okay.

“i’m gonna be fine, bro,” Stretch said with as much confidence as he could muster. “edge is gonna come over for dinner tonight and we’re gonna talk about it a bit more.”

Blue nodded. “Is dinner tonight a date for the two of you?”

“uh, i’m not sure. why?”

“I may or may not want to invite myself to join you if it’s not. I have some questions I’d like answered.” He shrugged as if it wasn’t important.

Stretch hummed. “‘kay. i mean, i’m fine with it if you stay, but i don’t want you interrogating my boyfriend.” He’d heard about Blue getting on Edge’s case about his suggestion for security, and he’d never felt more mortified in his life. Edge’s refusal to allow him to apologize on his brother’s behalf, saying it really hadn’t bothered him, had only made it worse.

Blue had the audacity to look mildly offended. Stretch honestly couldn’t say if it was an act or if he really felt that way. “I will not interrogate him, Papy, but I need to know what I can do and what he intends to do to keep you from harm.” 

Stretch nodded. “alright, i’ll buy that.” 

He texted Edge to make sure it was okay with him that Blue stayed for dinner. Edge seemed fine with it, so plans were made. 

When Blue pulled into the parking lot at Stretch’s apartment, Edge was already there. He was standing by his car looking around at the buildings as if he were searching for something. Stretch shivered; he was probably looking for whatever Slate had put up to monitor him with.

“hey there, handsome,” Stretch called out.

Edge turned and smiled before striding over to pull Stretch into an almost-too-tight hug. Stretch hugged him just as tightly and kissed the side of his skull. 

“i’m okay,” he said softly. “i’m just fine.”

Edge nodded. “I know.”

They pulled away, and Edge offered a nod in greeting to Blue before they all went inside. As soon as the door shut, Edge flipped the lock and turned to the others. 

“Before you ask me anything, Blue, I need to know if you’ll be comfortable cooking with me tonight.”

Blue narrowed his sockets. “I suppose. Why?”

“Because I need to talk to you, and it would be easier to mask our conversation with the sounds of making dinner.”

Blue crossed his arms, his sockets still narrowed. “And please tell me, who are we hiding this conversation from?” Stretch noticed his eye lights dart over to him.

Edge sighed. “I thought Stretch told you what was going on.”

“i did,” Stretch said hastily, a little worried Edge would think he’d lied.

“Yes, he did,” Blue agreed, “but that doesn’t explain to me who we’re hiding a conversation from. When exactly do you plan on sharing information with my brother?”

“Do you honestly believe I wish to keep anything from him?” Edge turned to him. “Stretch, you’re welcome to join us in the kitchen if you like.”

“bro, if the place is bugged, who do you think he doesn’t want hearing him?” Stretch asked, trying his hardest to be patient.

Blue’s face took on a pale blue blush. “Oh. Yes, I see.” He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted.” 

Stretch decided to join in the making of dinner for about fifteen minutes. After only ten minutes it was clear that three people milling about in the small kitchen was two too many, but with Blue giving him orders the way he usually did coupled with Edge’s near intolerance of the way he barked those orders had Stretch sitting out in no time. A few more minutes passed before Stretch decided he’d hear everything eventually anyway, and he had some laundry to catch up on. 

“we’ll talk in a bit, ‘kay edge?”

Edge nodded. “Of course.”

He left them to it and went about gathering his clothes. 

As thrilling as laundry was, Stretch was relieved when Blue called out to him that dinner was ready. They’d made pork chops with rice and steamed vegetables, and of course it was delicious. 

Talk during dinner was not what Stretch had expected. Edge talked a little about the case, his volume a bit louder than normal. It wasn’t until he caught a blatant lie in something Edge said that he realized why. He shuddered, just another reminder that the bad guys could hear them. 

Edge asked Stretch about his day with Blue, and they talked about the nature preserve they’d visited that day.

After dinner, Blue gave him a hard hug to say goodbye. 

“I love you, Brother,” he whispered. “And I know you’re going to be okay. I trust him.”

Stretch hugged him back tightly, only growing more curious about what they’d talked about in the kitchen. 

“love you too, bro. have a good night, yeah? let me know when you get home?”

Blue nodded. “Of course.”

After he left, Stretch turned to Edge. Edge smiled at him from where he stood by the kitchen. 

He held out a hand. “Let’s go talk.”

He nodded and went up to Edge, taking his hand. He led them into the bedroom, shut the door, and sat on the side of the bed. 

“It’s less likely they’ll hear much in here, but I’d still like to keep the volume down.” He spoke softly, leaning close to Stretch so he could be heard clearly.

Stretch nodded. “okay.”

Edge lifted his hand, their fingers still entwined, and kissed his knuckles. “The first thing I want you to know is that my brother has already hacked their surveillance. He sees everything they see and hears everything they hear. They have only one bug inside, and it’s in the living room, audio only.  I knew they wouldn’t hear anything with Blue and I cooking because Red can only barely hear you singing when you’re cooking.”

Stretch blushed. “dammit, see, that’s…” he trailed off, hating that anyone knew he sang when he cooked. He was terrible at both.

“Just so you know, I have not seen or heard anything.” Edge squeezed his fingers. “I wouldn’t, even if Red gave me the option.”

He nodded. “thank you.” He glanced at Edge. “how did red find out the place was bugged?”

Edge hesitated, then sighed.  “He hacked the apartment’s security system to keep an eye on you. It was a loophole that he took great joy in exploiting, I’m sure. He noticed someone suspicious, came out to investigate, and found the bugs.”

Stretch wasn’t sure how to feel about that. On one hand, Red doing what he had was probably the only way they ever would have found the bugs. On the other hand, he felt so violated.

“how...how does he know there’s only one inside?” He was pretty sure he did not want this answer, but he had to ask.

“From the way he told me, ‘any monster worth his shit knows you get better intel by bugging the inside’, so he...well, he broke in. Picked the lock the same as I had before.”

Edge’s remorse was clear in his voice, and for a brief moment, Stretch was glad for it. He should feel bad. He’d said this wouldn’t happen!

Then again, he couldn't control his brother’s behavior any more than Stretch could control Blue’s. 

Stretch squeezed Edge’s hand and leaned in to rest his skull on his shoulder. 

Edge kissed his head. “After the festival tomorrow, I’d like you to come home with me. Red has a hunch that Slate may be planning something, so when I leave today, we’re going to pretend that our plans are for me to bring you back here and go home by myself. I don’t even want to think of what they’re planning or how Red thinks they’ll fall for something like that when they realize I’m not bringing you home, but that doesn’t matter. I trust my brother, and this is what he wants me to do.”

Stretch nodded. “okay.” He couldn’t argue with that. He also didn’t want to think of what Slate might be planning. Obviously something like attacking him in the middle of the night. 

The thought of it made him suddenly nervous to be alone at all.  He shuddered, his mind going to several different what-if scenarios at the same time. What if they decided to act tonight after Edge left? What if Edge came over to pick him up tomorrow and found only a pile of his dust? What if they didn’t kill him but took him somewhere to torture him until Edge could convince his boss to drop the case entirely?

Edge took his hand from Stretch’s and wrapped his arm around him, pulling him in close.

“You’re going to be okay,” he said softly. “I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.”

Stretch looked at him. “will you stay here tonight?”

Edge nodded without hesitation. “Yes. To be honest, I was trying to think of a way to ask you that myself.”

He smirked and kissed Edge’s mouth. “thank you.”

Edge kissed him back, showing him without words that he would always be there for him. 

After a moment, they got up and got ready for bed. Stretch showered alone, taking his clothes into the bathroom with him so he wouldn't have to worry about walking around in just a towel. A tiny part of him wanted to just go naked, to seduce Edge, but he wasn't sure how Edge would feel about that. Finished with his shower, he toweled dry and got dressed, then went to find Edge sitting on the side of his bed.

Edge smiled at him as he sat down next to him. "Would you like me to sleep on the couch?"

He didn't even have to think about his answer. "would you be okay sharing my bed?"

"Of course. I just don't want you to think that I'm going to push you for anything."

"what if i want you to push me for something?" He looked down at his hands in his lap, his fingers fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. 

Edge slipped a hand under his chin, a silent request to look at him. He did, and Edge leaned in to kiss him slowly and deeply.

Stretch whimpered into the kiss and pressed himself closer, wrapping his arms around Edge. Heat rose in his soul, quickly spreading through his whole body. He wanted nothing more than to become one with Edge and to bear his mark.

Edge shifted, pulling Stretch gently to lie down with him. Stretch couldn’t hold back a soft moan as Edge’s hands moved over him, stroked his ribs through his shirt and skimmed slowly down his spine to his hips. 

Stars, he needed this. Stretch pushed on Edge’s chest gently, urging him to lie on his back. He shifted and eagerly pulled Stretch on top of him. Stretch straddled him and cried out when Edge’s hands gripped his hips tightly. Together they found a rhythm, grinding together as both lost themselves to pleasure they’d been craving.

Edge pulled Stretch down and kissed him hard and deep. He growled into the kiss as Stretch shoved his hands under his shirt, feeling out the scarred bones of his ribs and spine. 

Stretch broke the kiss with a moan. He met Edge’s eye lights, blown wide and sparkling crimson. 

“i want you so much,” he whispered. “i’m so ready for this. mark me. make me yours.”

Edge growled and flipped them over, placing himself between Stretch’s legs and continued to grind against him. He kissed him harder, desperate with need. He broke the kiss only a moment later, leaning back just enough to look at him.

“I love you,” he said, breathless. 

Stretch smiled brightly and lifted his head enough to plant a gentle kiss on Edge’s mouth. “i love you, too.”

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” 

“yeah, i am. i need this, baby.” He lifted his hands to place them gently on the back of Edge’s skull. “i need you.”

Something seemed to occur to him then. Stretch watched as Edge’s eye lights shrunk down. He sagged against Stretch, letting out a sigh that didn’t sound excited. 

Stretch tensed, wracking his brain in the seconds before Edge spoke, trying to think of anything he’d done to break the moment. Did Edge not like the pet name? Was he not as ready for this as he had seemed to be? 

“edge?”

“I need you, too, Stretch. I truly do. But more than that, I can’t do this knowing that not only my brother but Slate and anyone he has on surveillance might hear us. Might hear you. I don’t want to share this part of you with anyone, ever. Not even the sounds you make.”

A hot flame rose to Stretch’s cheekbones at the mere thought of Red hearing him fucking Edge. While he was pretty sure Red would do anything to not hear that, he couldn’t say the same about anyone else with access to that audio. It was enough to turn him off.

He swallowed and nodded. “you’re right. i’m sorry.”

Edge’s brows furrowed. “Why are you apologizing?”

“i don’t know.” He shrugged. “because i kinda started this, and--”

Edge’s mouth covering his stole his words. The kiss was soft and sweet. “We both kind of started this, Stretch. If you must be sorry, then I am as well.”

He couldn’t argue with that. He didn’t want Edge to feel bad about this, but he also couldn’t make himself not feel bad. He just nodded and wrapped his arms around Edge’s shoulders. Together they turned to their sides, holding each other close. 

“tomorrow, after the festival,” Stretch whispered, his mouth against Edge’s skull, “at your place, i want you to fuck me.”

He felt Edge smirk. “Gladly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next few days are gonna be hella busy for me, so I'm not gonna have a lot of time to write. Here's hoping that things go well and I'll have time to write next weekend!


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick warning for some violence and violent imagery. Also smexy times.

Edge wasn’t sleeping. He was tired, but thoughts kept circling in his skull, leaving him unable to relax enough to fall asleep. Stretch’s near constant shifting and turning didn’t help. He was currently wrapped around Edge, their legs entwined and one of his arms thrown across Edge’s ribs. He snored softly, one leg twitching every so often, and he was so damn beautiful in his sleep.

Edge sighed and checked the time on his phone. It was nearly two o’clock in the morning. He needed his sleep if he was going to make it through the festival without being a snappy asshole to everyone, possibly even including Stretch. He was beyond stressed, unable to reconcile having no control over the situation. He had promised Stretch he’d keep him safe, but how could he do that when he didn’t know what was going on? 

He did trust his brother. That wasn’t an issue. The issue was with every other unknown part of this situation. He couldn’t guarantee that Slate would be captured after the festival. He couldn’t guarantee that Red wouldn’t be hurt if he tried to take Slate on himself. There were too many variables.

And on top of everything else, Stretch was ready for a permanent mark. Oh, he was ready, too. A part of him wanted to just give in, wake Stretch up now and just be quiet so he could finally mark him. Another part of him warned that marking him at all before Slate was captured was just another way to put him in more danger. 

A soft sound caught his attention. It came from the living room, the faint rattle of a door handle. Edge carefully extracted himself from Stretch’s hold. He mumbled softly in his sleep before turning around. He didn’t wake. Edge nodded to himself and went to see what the noise had been. 

He made it halfway to the door when he heard it again. He knew that sound. He’d picked enough locks in his days that it was unmistakable. It seemed whoever was trying it wasn’t very talented. It was taking them longer than it should. A quick peek through the peephole confirmed his thoughts. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes for only a second as he formulated a plan, then nodded to himself before making his way quickly and silently back to Stretch’s room. 

He shut and locked the door behind him before sitting on the edge of the bed. He sent a few quick texts before turning his attention to his sleeping boyfriend.

“Stretch,” he whispered, reaching over to shake him lightly. “Stretch, I need you to wake up.”

Stretch turned to his back and opened one socket. “what? wha’s goin’ on?”

Edge put a finger over his mouth to gesture for Stretch to be quiet. “Someone is breaking in.” He didn’t bother saying who. The way Stretch was suddenly wide awake and his sockets widened said he already knew. “Hush, don’t make any noise. I need you to go to your brother’s.”

“and leave you here alone?” he whispered harshly, “no fucking way!” He sat up and pushed the blankets down. “i know i’m not as good in a fight as you, but i’m not gonna let you take him on alone.”

Edge nodded. “I know. I’ve already texted Dyne and my brother. I won’t be alone. Please, Stretch, don’t argue with me about this. I know you want to help, but the best way you can help me right now is to leave. Go to your brother’s so I don’t have to worry about you getting hurt.” 

Stretch gave his damaged socket a long, pained look before he finally nodded. “okay, but you will call me the instant things are under control. i mean it. if i don’t hear from you, i’m coming back.”

“I understand. Take your phone and go. Please.” He grabbed Stretch’s phone from the nightstand and shoved it into his hands. “I love you.”

“i love you, too.” He leaned in and stole a kiss before he pulled back and disappeared. 

Edge sighed. The door had been opened minutes ago and he could hear footsteps and whispered arguing. He stood up and took a deep breath to calm his climbing anger. These assholes thought they could get both Stretch and himself. They probably figured out that Red knew their plan and so changed it. They thought having Stretch around would be enough of a distraction to get to him again. 

Without another thought, he threw the door open. 

Three monsters were in the living room. Slate and two of his helpers. Edge’s soul pulsed with hatred for the monster who had hurt him and threatened his love. 

“Well, look who it is,” Slate said happily. “Long time no see.”

“This isn’t a fucking reunion,” Edge growled. “Don’t pretend like I don’t know why you’re here.”

Slate nodded. “Alright. Fair. Is your distraction still asleep?”

Edge didn’t bother with an actual answer. Instead, he pulled the bedroom door firmly shut behind him. Slate’s answering smile was like ice to his soul. 

“Jordan, you get the pretty boy. Brady and me will take care of the edgy one.”

Jordan, a cat monster, nodded and stepped backward two steps. 

Edge shot him a dark glare as he shook himself a little to loosen his bones, get into a fighting stance. He would keep them out of the room as long as possible, make them think Stretch was still here. 

The other two rushed forward in an attempt to grab him. He hit Brady in the face with the palm of his hand and twisted out of Slate’s grasp. Brady whined and touched his snout, pulling back a spatter of blood on his fingers. He growled and lunged again. This time Edge caught him by the arm and flung him around, smashing him into the corner of the wall by the kitchen. Judging by the faint, thick cracking sound and Brady’s howl, something was broken. 

Slate grabbed Edge from behind, wrangling his arms behind his back and wrapping one arm around his neck.

“Go get the other one, Jordan,” he snapped. 

Jordan nodded and ran past them. Edge struggled in Slate’s grasp, tried to get at least an arm free, but Slate had done some training during the last few years. Despite being shorter than Edge by a few inches, his hold was too strong for Edge to get out of. 

Jordan burst into the room and flipped on the light. He looked around for a moment, disappearing further into the room for only a few seconds before he came back out, confused. 

“There’s no one in here,” he said.

Slate’s arms tightened around Edge. “What?” He shifted, forcing Edge to look up with his arm tight around his neck. Only a little more force at a different angle would snap it. Edge tried to force himself to stay calm, his brother and Dyne would be here soon.

“Where is he?” Slate demanded. 

“No idea,” Edge responded as calmly as possible. “Maybe he jumped out the window. It’s not that high up.”

Jordan ran back in to check the window. He called back that it was closed and still locked. 

“We’ll find him,” Slate threatened, “and we’ll kill him nice and slow. I know you’ll want to watch, so we’ll keep you alive for now.”

A jolt of electricity and a familiar pop made Edge relax, if only internally. Red was finally here. 

* * *

“it ain’t nice for a guy to come so early,” Red drawled, as if he was completely unconcerned. He had to force himself to stay calm, even if only for a few minutes. As it was, Edge might get caught in the crossfire, and that was unacceptable.

Slate manhandled Edge to turn enough to see Red standing in the middle of the living room. He raised a hand and waggled his fingertips, keeping his gaze on Slate’s face. 

“all that nice foreplay, and yer gonna finish early? don’t a girl deserve better?”

“What the fuck are you even talking about?” Slate demanded. He looked around at his startled companions. “Would one of you fucking deal with that?” he shouted.

Jordan rushed forward, pulling a knife from his belt as he did. Red dodged the knife and grabbed the cat to haul him to the ground. Sitting on top of him, he grunted with the effort to keep him down. He managed to get his arms and ripped the knife from his hand. As Jordan started squirming harder, getting himself turned, Red slammed the knife to the hilt into the back of his neck. The cat yowled in pain, the sound trailing off to a gurgle before it finally stopped. 

Red got up and grinned at Slate. “see, now that was a little fun.” He looked over to see Brady still hunched on the floor by the kitchen. He cringed at Red’s gaze. Red wasn’t interested in an easy fight. He wanted Slate. 

“you’re such a fuckin’ coward,” Red snorted. “look at you. how did you even get this far? hidin’ behind all yer fuckin’ lackeys like you don’t got a spine ‘a your own. fuckin’ pathetic.”

Slate jerked Edge in his grasp. Edge gave Red a glance, one that told him to keep doing what he was doing. 

“You call this pathetic? I have your brother right where I want him. One move and I could snap his neck. You want that?”

“nah, i don’t think ya could. see, my bro is good at what he does. he’s one’a the fuckin’ best. you wanna know why?” 

Slate shuffled uncomfortably, loosening his grip just enough for Edge to get one arm free. It allowed him to pull the arm around his throat loose enough to twist out of his hold. He landed a few good punches to the gut just for good measure. 

Slate stumbled backward, clearly shocked that the skeleton could get away so easily. Immediately, Red appeared on his back, claws dug into his upper arms. 

“i taught him,” he spat. “everything he knows.” He bit down on Slate’s shoulder and kicked the back of his leg hard enough to bring him to his knees. “but i got one trick he don’t.” He looked at Edge then and winked. Edge nodded.

Red disappeared then, taking Slate with him. 

The sudden darkness around them wasn’t a shock to him anymore. There were times when things got too hectic that he would teleport just to spend a minute with no sensation whatsoever. No sight, no sound, no touch...not a fucking thing. Others had called it disturbing or traumatizing. He called it soothing.

There was no floor here, no ceiling and no walls. He couldn’t honestly say what they were standing on as he took two steps away from a trembling Slate. There were times when he would lay down, and if he gave it a minute the feeling of a floor under him would vanish and he would be floating in a vast emptiness. 

“W-where the fuck are we?” Slate managed to shiver.

“this is the void,” he said, his voice only carrying enough for Slate to hear him. He could hear Slate’s heavy breathing and the rapid beating of his soul. It was like music.

“i could, theoretically, finish the teleport and leave you here. maybe I’ll do that. remember, so few monsters know how to teleport. i ain’t got a fuckin’ clue how long you’ll be here. maybe i’ll come back for ya.”

“Wait!” Slate called out. 

Red ignored him and closed the teleport. He landed in Blue’s front yard. Brushing himself off, he knocked on the front door. 

Blue answered. “What the hell are you doing here?” he all but shrieked. He obviously knew what was going on.

“chill out, fuck. i just came to tell your bro we got the situation handled.” 

Blue sighed and called for his brother. Stretch looked like he’d been crying, streaks of orange tears marking his cheekbones. 

“my bro’ll call ya when it’s safe to come home. it ain’t yet. but we got the bad guy and we just need ta finish some stuff up. stay here like a good boy.”

Stretch grimaced. “i’m not a fucking dog.”

“just fuckin’ stay, for fuck’s sake. edge’ll call ya.”

“fine. and, uh...thanks. for letting me know.”

Red nodded and disappeared. Slate was right where he’d left him, although he was crying like a fucking baby for someone to help him. 

“it’s been what, five minutes?” He looked at his wrist despite not wearing a watch. 

Slate gasped and looked over at him. “Please, I’ll do anything. Anything. Please get me out of here. I can’t…I can’t.”

Red huffed. “ya fuckin’ pansy.” But he grabbed Slate by the shoulder and closed the teleport once again. This time they landed in the middle of Stretch’s living room. 

The sudden pressure of gravity had the kind of effect on Slate that Red had been hoping for. He was still on his knees and fell forward onto his hands, retching violently. Red had to laugh at that; it was fun to see his enemies at their weakest.

Cops were all over the place. A few of them shrieked when Red appeared, jumping back in shock, but others didn’t seem to notice or care. Brady was sitting on the floor by the front door, his hands in cuffs in front of him and a brace around his middle for his spine. The dust of what used to be Jordan was scooped up in a container and labeled to give to his family. 

“Where the hell has he been?” Dyne demanded, hands on her hips. She took in the sight of Slate weeping and begging with vomit sliming his chin and raised a brow. “And what the fuck happened to him?”

“the void,” was Red’s answer. He glanced at his brother who gave him a nod of approval.

Dyne nodded as well. Not many monsters had any great knowledge of the void, but those who claimed Red as a friend had been there at least a few times. Dyne knew all too well the terror that settled in a soul when they spent a minute too long in the void. Red called it fun. Dyne and others called it torture. 

Red crouched down next to Slate. “now be a good boy and apologize to my bro.”

Slate had managed to recover just enough to cast Red a glare. “Why the fuck would I apologize to that bastard?”

“wow, it sounds like ya wanna go back to the void. i think that’s what i heard. is that what you heard, edge?”

Edge grinned menacingly. “I’m pretty sure that’s what he said.”

Red reached out and gripped his shoulder again. 

“No! No, _please_ , I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Edge. Please don’t take me back there!” Slate was openly crying again. 

Red chuckled darkly. “that’s what i fuckin’ thought. now you’re gonna tell me where all your friends are hiding, right? tell me how to find ‘em.”

Slate just nodded, still sobbing and begging for help. He had no objections to surrendering, pleading for someone to just get him away from Red. He was hauled out to a police car waiting for him, followed shortly by Brady. 

It took a long while, but eventually all of the officers left. Red stayed behind to talk to Edge and help him debug the place. 

* * *

The moment the entire apartment building had been freed from any outside surveillance and Edge had cleaned the carpet where Slate had gotten sick, Edge was on the phone with Stretch. They only talked for a moment, long enough for Edge to reassure him that he was fine and that it was safe to come home. 

Not two seconds later, Stretch was in front of him. He tackled Edge, holding him tightly and pressing hard kisses to his whole face. 

Edge laughed and pushed him back just enough to see him. “Calm down; someone will think you’re happy to see me.”

Stretch snorted. “i  _ am  _ happy to see you, edgelord. so damn happy. are you okay? did you get hurt at all?”

“No, I’m perfectly fine.” He pulled Stretch back for a deep kiss. 

“i’m gonna take this as my cue to get the fuck out,” Red grumbled. 

Edge pulled back again and turned to his brother. “Please do. Thank you for your help, but go home.”

Red snorted. “fine. i know when i ain’t wanted. don’t gotta rub it in. i’m leavin’. don’t worry ‘bout me, bro. i know my way home. i’m sure i’ll be--”

“Red!” Edge shouted. Red cackled before he finally disappeared. 

Stretch couldn’t help but laugh, too. He stepped closer to Edge, tightening his arms around his neck and shoulders. 

“it’s really over?” he asked softly. 

Edge nodded and kissed him. “It’s really over.” 

“tell me everything that happened. you weren’t hurt? at all?”

He took Stretch to the couch and sat down, pulling him into his lap. He told Stretch everything and answered every one of his questions. He didn’t hold back; his boyfriend deserved nothing short of the absolute truth. 

He lightly traced a darkened half-circle under Stretch’s left socket. “You must be tired.”

“yeah, i am. what time is it, anyway?” He pulled out his phone to check. “four-thirty. damn. hey, at least we don’t have to get up early for anything, right? we can sleep in.”

“Absolutely.”

Stretch stood up and took the lead back to the bedroom. He stopped and frowned at the mess. The blankets had been stripped from the bed and a few other of his belongings thrown around. 

Together they remade the bed and put away the other items. Afterward, the two skeletons crawled back into bed. It wasn’t hard to tell Stretch was exhausted. He curled up next to Edge, flinging an arm around his chest. 

“if i wasn’t so tired i’d seduce you right now,” Stretch said with an adorably lopsided smile. 

“But you are tired.” Edge leaned in and kissed him. He wouldn’t deny that he’d give in if he thought Stretch was up for it. However... “Seduce me in the morning.”

“mmm, yes. okay.” He yawned and wriggled to get more comfortable. He was asleep in minutes.

Edge was finally feeling safe enough to relax. He decided he’d skip his usual morning run. He’d likely get a workout in a few hours regardless. He closed his eyes and held Stretch a little tighter, allowing himself to fall into a light sleep.

* * *

Stretch woke up slowly, snuggling further into warm blankets and an even warmer body next to him. Arms around him hugged gently, and he couldn’t help but smile. He felt so warm and safe and untouchable.

His sockets fluttered open as he remembered what had happened the night before. A wave of peace washed over him. The last few weeks had been especially stressful for him, but now it was all over. The bad guy was in jail, anyone who might want to retaliate was going to be found and caught, and it was just...over. 

He snuggled even closer to Edge and looked up to meet his eye lights. Edge was smiling softly, his eye lights full of love and happiness. 

“Good morning,” he said sweetly. 

Stretch nodded and yawned, turning over onto his back to stretch out his bones. He let Edge pull him back in after he relaxed. 

“morning’ hot stuff. you sleep okay?”

Edge shrugged one shoulder. “I slept well enough. You?”

“like a log.” 

“Perhaps a log caught in a fast-moving river with all your tossing and turning. Is that normal?”

Stretch couldn’t help the blush that crept up on his cheekbones. “yeah, sorry.”

Edge kissed him. “No need to apologize. I didn’t notice the way you constantly move in your sleep the last time we...slept together. Granted, we were both drunk.” 

“yeah, so i actually don’t move in my sleep when i’m drunk. weird, but i don’t. did i hit you last night?”

“More than once, yes.”

He winced. “sorry.”

Edge shook his head. “I said no apologies. You didn’t hurt me; far from it. It was merely a surprise.”

Stretch nodded. “okay.” He sucked in deep breath and let it out before inching a tiny bit closer to his lover. He let himself look Edge over, his strong bones covered in a soft, black t-shirt. His hands splayed out on Edge’s chest and felt his ribs, one hand sliding around to his spine while the other traced the connection of his ribs to his sternum. 

He wanted to do what he’d said the night before and seduce Edge. He wasn’t sure how. He accepted now that Edge thought he was pretty, but how did he move his body in a sexy way or say things to turn him on? 

Stretch swallowed and looked at Edge, meeting his eye lights. He could feel the blush burning his cheekbones and the insecurity was probably written on his face.

“Are you okay?” Edge asked gently. 

He nodded and sucked in a breath. “i don’t know what i’m doing,” he admitted. 

Should he be bold and reach down to Edge’s pants? Was that too much? He didn’t know how to be coy, to be a tease. Chad had often called him one, especially toward the end, but it was never in a fond way. It was always angry, as if Stretch had done something wrong. 

Edge nodded and cupped his face, bringing him out of his thoughts. “Keep doing what you’re doing.” He gave him a light kiss. “Just keep touching me. It feels nice.”

Stretch did as he was told, slipping his hands under Edge’s shirt to feel his bones directly. He watched in awed satisfaction as Edge closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. 

“Oh, that’s good. Between the vertebrae.” 

Edge copied him, slipping his hands under Stretch’s shirt and gently massaging his spine. He focused his attention between the vertebrae, and Stretch barely caught a moan from escaping. It wasn’t intense, just a soft, gentle heat washing over his bones. 

“show me what to do?” Stretch pleaded. He wanted to make Edge feel good, more than just the sex part. He had a guess that Edge might know more than him. 

Edge kissed him hard and deep as he slipped a hand up inside his ribcage. Stretch sucked in a breath at the feel of his fingers gently tracing down the inner edges of his spine, catching lightly on his ribs. Stretch repeated the action on Edge and felt a wave of satisfaction as he groaned into the kiss. 

He turned his hands over and very lightly stroked the inner surface of his sternum, close to where his soul would be if he were to make it manifest. The sensation was on the threshold of pleasure and pain, and Stretch gasped as he pulled away from the kiss. 

“holy fuck!” 

“Is it too much?” 

Stretch gasped in air and shook his head. “almost? but no. it’s--oh!” 

Edge dragged his fingers over the inner part of his ribs, avoiding his sternum. It was far less sensitive, and fucking hell it felt good. He did the same to Edge, watching with eager delight as he closed his sockets and groaned in pleasure. 

Very carefully, Stretch let his fingertips graze down his sternum. Edge grunted and nodded before stuttering out a request for more, harder. He didn’t have to ask twice. 

Stretch marveled at the warmth inside Edge’s rib cage. He was so close to Edge’s soul. All he’d have to do is focus his energy and it would manifest. Stretch wanted to see it, but he wasn’t about to ask. That was more intimate than sex, and something couples only did if they’d been together a long time. 

Instead of asking, he followed Edge’s lead as he let his hands drop down to his spine below his ribs, carefully massaging and teasing his way down to Edge’s iliac crests. He could see Edge’s magic glowing under his pants. He was eager to see if he’d formed anything yet. His own magic had formed embarrassingly quickly, and he was already wet and ready.

He didn’t wait for Edge to show him what to do now. He knew how to play this part well, and he didn’t hesitate to pop the button on his jeans. He gave Edge a sly smirk as he pushed Edge onto his back and slithered down.

He kissed the front of Edge’s pants, delighted to feel a strong bulge pressing back. Edge hissed, settling his hands on Stretch’s skull before he could even get started. He slowly pulled the zipper down, then shifted enough to pull his pants down. Edge helped him, and soon enough Stretch had his cock in his hands. 

“did i ever tell you how amazing your cock is?” he asked as he stroked gently. 

Edge looked down at him. “I don’t believe you did.”

Stretch licked him from the base to the tip, dragging the flat of his tongue roughly over pseudo flesh. He didn’t bother saying anything else. He could tell Edge that it was the best cock he’d ever had, which wouldn’t exactly be a lie, but considering it was only the second cock he’d ever had it wasn’t much of a compliment either. Instead, he took Edge in and sucked him with all the talent he’d learned. 

He had to remind himself that this was Edge when he felt hands pressing down on his skull, urging him to take more, hold him in longer. This was Edge and Edge would never hurt him. Hell, he’d already blown him once; it shouldn’t be an issue to do it again. But Edge’s hands were insistent, his cries hot as hell, and Stretch wanted to enjoy this. He could bring his boyfriend to orgasm and earn his love all the more. 

When Edge bucked his hips up, forcing his dick further down Stretch’s throat, he felt the first twinges of panic he’d felt in a few long weeks. He didn’t want to stop. He couldn’t...Edge would be so disappointed. He closed his sockets and told himself over and over again that Edge was safe. 

With the second thrust of Edge’s hips, Stretch suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe. He pulled away, and Edge immediately let him go. He tried so hard to make it seem normal, like he wasn’t just imagining himself with another lover. One who would be pissed if he’d stopped like this. 

“Are you okay?” Edge’s voice was breathless, all the more proof that he had been enjoying himself. 

Stretch couldn’t look up at him. He couldn’t bear to see Edge’s irritation. Instead, he began stroking again. 

Edge pushed Stretch back enough to urge him to look up. He finally did, and a wave of something he couldn’t identify hit hard at the sight of Edge’s concern. 

“Did I hurt you?” he asked. 

He shook his head. “no, i just...i dunno.” He shrugged and tried to look away. It wouldn’t be very convincing if he were to start crying now. 

“Stretch, please look at me. This is important. If I made you uncomfortable, I need to know.” 

It occurred to him then that Edge would probably be more upset if Stretch forced himself to endure something unpleasant rather than stopping. He moved back up to lay next to Edge and gave him a soft kiss. 

“i was uncomfortable. you didn’t hurt me; i just...i guess i just really don’t like to be held down like that. memories.”

Edge nodded and kissed him back. “Then I promise that won’t happen again. Thank you for telling me.”

Stretch nodded. “sure. um...do you want me to keep going?”

“Your mouth is truly lovely.” He kissed him again, slipping his tongue in for a taste. “Do you want to keep sucking me, or would you rather I eat you out before I fuck you senseless?”

A shot of heat went right to his cunt. “i’m supposed to be the one seducing you here,” he complained. 

Edge chuckled. “You already have. I’m seduced, and I can’t wait to bury my cock into that sweet, hot pussy.”

“okay, yeah, that sounds nice.” 

He let himself get pushed onto his back. Edge took a moment to strip off his pants and his shirt before helping Stretch out of his own clothing. Once everything was neatly folded and set on the floor by the bed, Edge crawled over him. 

He took his time, slowly kissing his way up Stretch’s legs. 

“You are so beautiful,” he said softly. “Every inch of you, every single unmarked bone. Exquisite.” He pressed a few light kisses to his femurs. “Your magic is a truly remarkable color. The way it swirls and shines. Gorgeous.” 

Stretch slapped a hand over his mouth when Edge licked him. He was so turned on he almost felt like he could orgasm just from a few licks. 

Edge pulled back and reached up to pull Stretch’s hand away from his mouth. “Let me hear you, Stretch. I want to hear your pleasure.” He went back down, and Stretch gripped the sheets under him to keep from covering his mouth again. 

“oh fuck! edge...please, baby! please, i’m gonna cum!” He couldn’t hold still, writhing as he got closer to his end. Edge didn’t stop. He thrust a finger inside, pumping a moment before adding another. Stretch wailed and came hard, reaching down to grip Edge’s skull, silently begging him to never stop. 

Edge finally pulled away as Stretch’s body began jerking with overstimulation. As he’d done before, he kissed his way up Stretch’s body, taking his time to savor every inch. He kissed up his ribs, his clavicle, and his cervical vertebrae before laying next to him and pulling him into his arms. 

“I love you, Stretch.”

“holy fuck, i love you, too,” he panted back. 

“Take a moment to relax. Let me know when you’re ready.” He gently pet Stretch’s spine. 

As he came down from his incredible high, Stretch couldn’t help but marvel at how lucky he was. Edge truly cared about his comfort and pleasure, not just his own. He’d known this already, had known it from the beginning, but to have proof that it wasn’t just a one-time, drunken thing was nice.

He looked over at Edge and kissed him. “i’m ready.”

Edge nodded and pushed him back over, climbing on top. “Stars, you’re so fucking perfect.” Another kiss as he lined himself up and began gently pushing inside. 

Stretch reached up to pull Edge down to rest on his elbows instead of his hands. He kissed him hard and shifted his hips to help Edge ease inside. He took his time, careful not to hurt, and every inch felt better than the last. 

Finally hilted, they both took a moment to savor their connection before Edge began rocking against him, dragging out slowly before easing back in. 

Edge growled. “You’re so damn tight. So wet. Fuck.” 

Stretch could only grab at Edge, hold him tightly and let him hear every sound of pleasure he had to give. He lifted his legs and wrapped them around Edge, giving them a new angle that made them both gasp. 

“oh, right there!” Stretch gasped. “right there, baby.  _ fuck _ !”

Edge kissed him wildly and moved a little faster, a little harder. He licked at Stretch’s neck, gently nibbling on his vertebrae. Stretch cried out and tilted his head, giving Edge more room to continue. 

Heat coiled tighter in his bones with every thrust and his toes began to curl as his release started mounting. As he grew closer, Stretch felt a hot tug on his soul. It wasn’t unpleasant, and he held Edge tighter, begged him to mark him. 

“i think i can feel it,” he panted, “on my soul. mark me, baby. make me yours.”

Edge growled and thrust harder, reaching between them to rub Stretch’s clit. 

Stretch’s back arched as he came, his legs tightening around Edge as his body shook with his release. Edge wasn’t far behind, his cries muffled in Stretch’s throat. 

They both laid still, coming down slowly from their shared high. Stretch let himself pet Edge wherever he could reach as his legs relaxed back down to the mattress. His bones still trembled but he felt so warm and so content. 

“i love you,” he finally whispered. He leaned his head in just enough to kiss Edge’s skull. 

“I love you, too,” Edge slurred back. “Fuck me, that was incredible.”  He kissed Stretch’s neck before sliding up just enough to kiss his mouth. “Come shower with me.”

Stretch grinned and nodded. “okay.”

It was already late in the morning, Stretch was hungry and they had plans later, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to say no to getting to fuck Edge in the shower. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WHEW* Now that Slate's been dealt with, maybe our boys can enjoy a nice time at the festival. They deserve it!


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Detailed warning in the end notes. Mental health shit involving someone who has been abused, including one really big thing that I can't say here without spoiling it. Please read if you need to. 
> 
> Many of you have been waiting for this chapter for a long time, so let's get to it.

The sun was bright with only wispy clouds overhead, and it made for a hot day. Stretch was dressed for the weather, a long, loose tank top and a pair of baggy basketball shorts along with his sandals. 

Edge ran a hand down Stretch’s left humerus slowly, his eye lights following his hand almost hungrily. “Showing a bit of bone today, are we?”

Stretch almost turned right back around to change, but he managed to catch himself. He didn’t want to wear stuffy or tight t-shirts and pants out in the sun; he wanted to enjoy everything the festival had to offer. 

“you, um...do you like it?” he managed. He might like it, but would he be okay with his newly claimed boyfriend wearing it out?

“Of course I like seeing you like this,” he said, his fingertips trailing back up his bare arms. “Perhaps a little too much. You’re tempting.”

Stretch smiled and stepped closer to kiss him. “but are you’re okay with me wearing it outside?”

Edge frowned then, leaning back a little. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

He shrugged and looked down. “i dunno. because...maybe because you don’t want other monsters to see me like this?” He shrugged again.

Fingers under his chin urged him to look up, and he did. Edge smiled softly, so much love shining in his eye lights. “Stretch, I would never claim to have the right to tell you how you can and cannot dress. While I know other tale-verse monsters might be tempted to hit on you, you love me and will leave with me. Any fell-verse monster would have to be out of their damn mind to even think about it with your shiny new mark.”

Stretch grinned brightly. “thank you.”

They left shortly after that, stopping by Edge’s place so he could change. Stretch had hoped that Edge would follow his example, but he realized as Edge descended the stairs it had been too much to ask for. 

Edge had chosen another blank t-shirt in the absolutely unexpected color of gray along with a fresh pair of jeans. 

“hey, you’re not wearing black,” Stretch commented. 

A smirk was his response. “It’s close enough.”

“no. no, see, this is practically neon compared to the vanta you usually wear.” He plucked at the front of Edge’s shirt and smiled at him. “it’s unnerving to see you so out of your comfort zone.”

Edge snorted. “You’re being ridiculous. The only reason this shirt isn’t just as black as everything else I own is because it’s old and I didn’t have access the kinds of laundry care I do now when I was younger.”

Stretch gave him a kiss. “i might be a little ridiculous, but you love it.”

“Indeed, I do. Shall we?” He held out his hand, and Stretch took it. 

Stretch was visibly trembling with excitement when they finally made it to the festival. It was a little later than they’d planned on, but neither could really care. They were both relieved to have the constant threat of Slate no longer hanging over their heads, and they had spent the afternoon getting very acquainted with each other’s bodies. 

But now, as Edge paid for their entrance, Stretch couldn’t help but remember how much he had loved the festival when he was younger. He took Edge’s hand and dragged him around to the different games he’d once loved. Some of them were more childish than he remembered, but Edge never once scoffed in annoyance or made fun of him for wanting to play anyway. 

“come on, edge! you’d be great at this one!” Stretch held out the little water pistol. 

“Of course I’d be great at it; I have excellent aim.” 

Stretch laughed as Edge pretended to preen. “then why not give it a try?”

Edge rolled his eye lights and took the water pistol from his boyfriend. “Fine. Start picking out your prize.”

Stretch clapped in delight and chose instead to watch his baby as he lined the sights up and began squirting the little target. The horse figure on the pole behind it shot up halfway to the bell in an instant, but then Edge’s aim wavered off the target and it fell back. He was quick to get it back on, and the horse began to climb again. 

It made it three-fourths of the way up the pole before time ran out. Before Stretch could say anything about it, Edge tossed another bill at the attendant and asked for another chance. Stretch cheered him on, excited to see Edge enjoying one of his favorite games.

The game was trickier than it looked. He remembered when he was young always thinking it should be so easy, but keeping the stream of water on that tiny target was hell on someone with baby bro and friends pulling at him. 

The figure made it a little further this time, but it still didn’t make it to the bell. Edge pulled out another bill, and just before he gave it to the attendant, Stretch saw his face. 

That was not the face of enjoyment. Edge was frustrated, maybe even angry. 

“hey, babe, there are other games. we could--”

“No, you wanted me to play and so I will. I just need to focus.”

Stretch nodded but didn’t say anything back. He wasn’t sure Edge even realized he’d just snapped at him. He did his best to cheer him on again, but by the end of the third round Edge’s frustration was clear. 

He stopped him from pulling out another bill and instead took the water pistol from his hands as he stepped in front of him. 

“babe, that’s enough. this is supposed to be fun, and i don’t think you’re having fun right now.” He gave him a gentle kiss.

Edge’s eye lights were small and shaking a little, but he nodded and turned to walk away from the game. 

They only made it about twenty steps before he suddenly turned around and pulled Stretch into a tight hug. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his mouth against Stretch’s skull.

Stretch shook his head. “it’s okay, edge. it’s okay to get frustrated at games, no matter how silly they are.”

Edge pulled back only far enough to give him a soft kiss. “It wasn’t the game that frustrated me. Trying to focus on that little target...it hurt.” He gestured to his left socket. “Not bad, just an ache like trying to read when you’re too tired to think. I tried to pretend I was at a shooting range, but that didn’t help. I haven’t had any real target practice in a long time. It’s not needed as often for officers who aren’t in the field.” 

He shook his head again and gave Stretch another kiss. “Where would you like to go next?”

Stretch knew just the place. 

He knew his baby had a soft spot for puzzles, and the obstacle course was just the place to show him a good time. Not even ten minutes in, Stretch knew he’d made the right decision. 

He let Edge take the lead in everything here, watching him think through each different puzzle was bordering on erotic. Especially when he’d give Stretch that cute little grin that said he was proud of himself for solving yet another piece of the larger course. 

But of course Edge didn’t let Stretch sit out entirely. He made sure to ask for help or to give Stretch tasks to help get them through the course. 

Together, they made it through. 

Edge pulled him close and gave him a deep kiss. Stretch was all too happy to accept, even after they got a few hoots and a shouted demand to get a room. 

“Are you hungry at all? Thirsty?” 

“maybe a little,” Stretch admitted. He didn’t want the fun to end, but it was starting to get late. 

Edge took his hand and kissed the back of it before leading the way. Stretch didn’t ask where they were going. If they were leaving now, then they’d had plenty of fun together. 

As they walked and Edge recounted the obstacle course, Stretch listened and looked around at the sunny beach and all of the other partygoers. It had been such a great day. He wanted it to last longer, but they could always come back to the beach another time. They’d have good times together, and now with Slate gone they didn’t have to worry about how much they kissed in public. 

The wafting smell of food brought him out of his thoughts. He realized with a bit of a start that Edge had brought him to the food trucks that occupied a large section of parking lot just inside the entrance to the festival. 

“can we eat here?” he asked hesitantly. When he was a kid, someone getting hungry meant time to leave because the food trucks were too expensive. He didn’t even want to think about how many times Chad had made him consider the price of something before ordering, no matter where they went. 

“Of course. I wouldn’t bring you near food and then tell you that you can’t have it. I’m not that cruel.”

Stretch snickered. “you’re not cruel at all.”

He swept his hand out in a wide gesture. “Take your pick. Where should we dine?”

Several moments of deliberation later, they were standing in line for some tacos. They chatted for a bit about the day so far, and Edge admitted out loud how much he’d enjoyed the obstacle course. Stretch gave him another kiss just as they stepped up to the truck. 

Food in hand, they found a table and sat down to eat. 

“oh...edge…” Stretch caught sight of another truck, one he hadn’t noticed before. He reached out and grabbed Edge’s arm.

Edge looked around, confused. “What? What is it?”

“look.” He gestured to the truck in question. 

“Ice cream?”

Stretch gave him a look. “not just ice cream.” His tone suggested Edge had just insulted in his ancestors. “the best ice cream and shakes in the whole world. i have never had anything as good in my life, and believe me, i have searched.”

Edge smiled. “Then after we eat we can get some ice cream.”

He was almost sad they couldn’t have sex in public, because his baby deserved some serious orgasms for that. Then again, the ice cream alone might give him a few. 

“have you ever had it?” Stretch asked. 

“No, I haven’t, but you’re not the only one I’ve heard praise them. I’ll admit I’m intrigued.” 

“you need to try their strawberry cheesecake smoothie. it’s the best. i already know it’s what i want.” 

Edge chuckled. “Should we get one to share?”

“fuck no! get your own.”

The moment Stretch finished his tacos, he was ready to get in line. Edge took their garbage and tossed it before giving him a kiss on the cheekbone. 

“Sit. Relax. Recoup. I’ll get our shakes, and then we can go explore the festival some more.”

Before he could get away, Stretch caught him and gave him a proper kiss. He then watched as Edge approached the truck, his eye lights sweeping over his body. He couldn’t help but think of all the naughty, dirty things he was going to do with that monster when they got home. 

The line was longer than Stretch had anticipated. He couldn’t see the servicing side of the truck from where he was, so he had no way of knowing which group of people belonged to which truck, but when Edge stopped behind a rabbit monster with her toddler eagerly bouncing next to her, he realized just how long he was going to have to wait. 

Oh, well. It would be worth it. And it would give him a chance to think of a few ways of starting things when they got home. He wondered briefly if they were still going to go back to Edge’s place or if he’d take him home tonight. He hoped they’d go back to Edge’s.

He briefly wished they actually lived together so they wouldn’t ever have to say goodbye. As nice as that would be, he had to admit it was far too early in their relationship to bring it up. Just because he wanted to fall asleep in Edge’s arms every night and wake up next to him every morning didn’t mean they were ready for that big of a step. 

He pushed that thought away and looked up at the bright blue sky, leaning back against the table behind him. Despite getting late in the day, it was still warm and balmy and gulls still flew around overhead searching for patrons to drop a shit on. 

“Well, look who it is.” 

Stretch froze. He knew that voice. He had a second to hope it wasn’t talking to him as he sat up and tried to pretend he hadn’t heard anything. 

“Don’t pretend you can’t hear me, Stretch. That’s not nice.”

Dammit if the tone in that voice didn’t have him cowering, itching to apologize. His soul began to pound almost painfully as he finally turned to look toward the voice. 

He swallowed thickly as his eye lights landed on a tall bear monster not two feet from his table, behind him. Chad was dressed for the summer heat in a pair of nice jean shorts and a tank top that showed off his physique.

He wanted to get up and run. Oh, how he wanted to go find Edge and tell him that Chad was here and please, please get him away. Take him home and promise him that he’d never have to hear that voice again. 

He was stuck. Something in his stars-forsaken skull forced him to stay put, too afraid to make a scene in front of the other monster. He hated making a scene. 

“Mind if I have a seat?” Chad asked, gesturing to the empty bench across from him. 

He wanted to say yes, he minded a great deal. He didn’t want Chad anywhere near him, let alone share a table with him. Instead, he felt himself nod. 

“Great, thanks.” He shuffled around the table to sit right next to Stretch. 

He closed his eyes, trying so hard not to panic. He didn’t know what to do. Why couldn’t he think? Why couldn’t he move? If he could only just call out to Edge, there was a chance he might hear him and come to save him. 

“How’ve you been? It’s been a while since I last saw you.”

Stretch was going to cry. He could feel it, a storm building in his soul. Chad hated it when he cried. He said it only showed how weak he was. How weak and stupid and worthless. 

And he was, wasn’t he? He couldn’t even move. Couldn’t say or do anything that might make the monster next to him upset. And why? For what? Because he was stupid and weak and worthless. Stars, what the hell did Edge ever see in him? 

Shit. Edge was going to see him sitting next to Chad, and what would he think? If it were any other monster in the world, he could make the excuse that he was just chatting, making friends. Not with Chad. Edge would ask him why he didn’t get up and leave. Why he allowed Chad to sit next to him and talk to him like they were old friends. 

And what could his excuse possibly be? The truth would only make Edge finally see that he was nowhere near worthy of a monster like him.

“Are you even going to say anything to me? I mean, I see you here and make the effort to come over, and you don’t even say a word to me?”

“i’m sorry,” he muttered automatically. “i’m sorry.”

Chad huffed. “Yeah, just like usual.”  He reached over and placed a hand lightly on Stretch’s arm. “But, I’ll forgive you this time. Talk to me. I’ve missed you; tell me how you’ve been.”

* * *

Edge was nearly getting impatient. The line was long, and he respected the staff’s need to wait on each patron as equally as the next, but he was eager to get the treat back to Stretch and watch his face as he tasted it. If it was truly as good as he remembered it, then Edge was surely in for a visual treat himself. 

He thought over the events of the day and smiled to himself. It had been, in a word, eventful, but certainly worth every moment. Watching Stretch at each of the games they’d played in the beginning, uncaring of whether he won or not and just enjoying the process, was a joy in itself. The fact that he’d thought of Edge when he picked out the obstacle course was only more reason to love him as it had been a challenge he’d taken great pleasure in overcoming. 

Finally at the front of the line, Edge placed his order and watched as the vendors quickly whipped up two strawberry cheesecake shakes. He paid and thanked them, then began making his way back to the table. 

He stopped short when he realized Stretch was not alone. A hot, fierce shot of possessiveness tore through his soul. He took a deep breath and shook his head to himself. Stretch had every right to speak to whomever he wished, and certainly making new friends was only a bonus. A large support group was never a bad thing in any circumstance. And truly, if anyone deserved more friends, it was Stretch. 

The closer he got, however, the more he began to notice.

The way Stretch was leaning slightly away from the bear monster. The way the bear held Stretch’s arm, almost as if he didn’t want to give Stretch a chance to get away. There was a tenseness in Stretch’s bones that seemed too tight, too uneasy to be a simple case of uncomfortable flirting. 

And then Stretch turned his head, and Edge saw a glimpse of his face. He was terrified. 

Steeling himself for a possible confrontation, Edge straightened his shoulders and quickened his pace. He took several deep breaths to keep himself under control.

Stepping up next to Stretch, he set the shakes down a little harder than necessary. Stretch jumped as if he’d just shouted in his ear and turned to look at him. He was more than just terrified. Something was so terribly wrong. 

“Hello,” He said coolly, keeping his voice under control. He then looked the other monster over. “What’s going on here?”

The bear’s left eye twitched. “Nothing you need to concern yourself with.”

“Is that so?” There was something about the bear he couldn't place. He knew that face from somewhere. He glanced at Stretch. “Is he bothering you?”

Stretch opened his mouth to say something, but before he could utter a sound, the bear stood up. Stretch flinched. 

All the pieces suddenly fell into place. Edge only barely managed to keep his wits about him as Chad all but shoved himself between him and Stretch. 

“What’s it to you?” he asked. He was a head and a half shorter than Edge, but it seemed he lacked any kind of self preservation. Couldn’t he see he was dealing with a fell-verse monster?

Edge couldn’t stop a growl from rumbling in his chest. “You’re talking to my boyfriend, that’s what it is to me.”

The bear’s eyes widened, and for a second he almost looked hurt. He took a step back and looked over at Stretch. 

“Is that true?” he asked, honestly sounding wounded.

Stretch looked at Edge, his eyes pleading for help. Edge nodded, trying to encourage him. Now that he was here, Chad was not going to hurt him. 

“y-yeah. it’s true,” Stretch managed. Even in those tiny syllables, his voice trembled. 

Chad turned back to Edge. “Hey, man, we were just talking.”

“Yes, and now you’re done. You can leave.”

It really was too much to hope that the guy was smarter than he looked and would just go away. But, then again, he’d abused Stretch for years. A part of Edge really hoped he tried to pull something stupid.

It seemed he might get his wish. Chad puffed his chest up like he wanted to try to appear tough and took a small step closer. “Why don’t you let him talk for himself. Maybe he wanted to talk to me.”

“I doubt that. If you think for one second that I don’t know who you are or what you did to him, you’re wrong. I’m trying to give you a chance to leave peacefully. Take it, or regret it.”

Chad started to turn back to Stretch. Edge reached out and caught his arm. 

“You’re done talking to him. Don’t look at him. Either leave, or I’ll have to make you.”

The bear huffed in annoyance. “That bastard was always spreading lies about me. I never laid a paw on him. Never.”

Edge took a deep breath to stay as calm as possible. “You had better start feeling damn lucky we’re in public and already drawing a crowd.” Around them, a few monsters had stopped to see what was going on. None of them had gotten concerned enough to actually ask or to offer their help, but curiosity was a beast all its own. 

“Or what? What are you gonna do, fell-verse? Are you gonna beat me up?”

Edge couldn’t help but sneer. “Give me a reason to. Please.”

“Like you could take me. You’re just a pile of bones, no muscle and no real strength. You see this?” He flexed his right arm, showing off a sizeable muscle. “This is what strength is.”

“I see. Prove it to me.” He was itching for a fight. He needed to hit something, and that something needed to be this bastard’s face. “Or are you too scared? Too much of a coward to show off where you might get proven wrong?”

“edge?” Stretch’s voice was small and scared. 

He spared a glance to try to reassure him. He only had a chance to register Stretch’s shout before a fist collided with his face and sent him staggering backward. 

“I’ll fucking show you who’s the coward!” Chad shouted. 

He moved in and swung again, but Edge dodged him and tried to catch him from behind. He was too fast, twisting out of his grasp. 

“You can’t even hit me back? Now who’s the coward, huh? See, Stretch, I told you over and over that skeletons are--”

A swift kick to the gut shut him up, and he stumbled back with a breathless moan. 

“I said you’re done talking to him. Are you as deaf as you are stupid?” 

Edge didn’t bother letting him regain his balance. He moved in quickly and hit him once before grabbing him around the neck and wrestling him to the ground, face down, and put a hard knee into the middle of his back. 

“You just assaulted a police officer.” He pulled his badge out of his back pocket to show it to the crowd so none of them would try to pull him off Chad or try to get him arrested. “You should have left when you had the chance.”  He deftly pulled his phone from his pocket and called Dyne. 

He didn’t have any cuffs with him, but one of the food truck vendors was nice enough to give him a couple zip ties that would work just fine until Dyne got there with the car to arrest him properly. 

Edge noted that Stretch was being too quiet as they moved Chad outside the festival. He knew his uneasiness had nothing to do with the milkshakes, but he didn’t feel it was right to try to talk about what he might be feeling in the middle of a crowd. It would have to wait until they could leave. 

The moment Dyne got there and he was able to hand Chad off, he took Stretch as gently as he could by the arm and led him away from the commotion. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, knowing full well what the answer was going to be. 

Stretch all but collapsed into him, arms tight around his chest. 

“i’m sorry! i’m so sorry, edge. please...i’m sorry.” He cried, babbling apologies and begging for something. 

Edge held him tightly, unwilling to let go even to get him into the car and to privacy. The crowd's focus was on Dyne as she cited Chad's rights to him. They had enough privacy for him to at least get Stretch through this. 

He’d helped abuse victims when they had to face their abuser again, and it never failed to leave a deeper mark on the abused. They all had to relive their trauma, literally coming face to face with their past. But there was one big difference between those he’d helped and Stretch.

Stretch hadn’t been expecting any of it. If he’d known Chad was there, he would never have suggested Stretch stay by himself. 

“It’s okay, Stretch,” he murmured. “It’s okay now. He’s gone. You’re safe.”

He shuddered against Edge with a heartbreaking sob, still pleading for forgiveness that he didn’t need. He hadn’t done anything wrong. 

But he thought he had. Edge closed his eyes and remembered Stretch’s reactions to things when they’d first started dating. Even before then, just as friends, the effects of the abuse he’d sustained were evident. He thought he’d messed up simply by letting Chad talk to him. Never mind that just seeing someone who’d ruled his life for so long had to have left him feeling helpless and possibly even paralyzed. 

And Edge had been only a few yards away the whole time. 

He closed his sockets and hugged Stretch tighter. There was no use blaming himself either. 

“Stretch?” He kept his voice gentle, unwilling to cause his boyfriend any further anxiety by sounding hard or even too loud. “Stretch, love, please listen to me.”

Still crying, he managed to nod and pulled back just enough to look up at Edge. 

“None of this is your fault. Do you hear me? None of it.”

Stretch’s eye lights darted away, and he tried to shrink into himself. “but--”

Edge shook his head. “No,” he said softly. “No buts. You just came face to face with the monster who abused you. Please don’t expect yourself to be able to rationalize and make logical decisions in that moment. Okay?”

“no, it’s not okay. i couldn’t think at all, edge. i...i wanted to come get you, but i couldn’t. i was so weak, so stupid…”

His soul hurt beyond words, ached for how badly he wished he could show Stretch how much he was loved, how strong he truly was. 

“You were not weak, love. You were so strong. You faced him when you least expected it. I wish I had been there to help you, but I wasn’t, and you had to face him alone. For that, I am truly sorry, but I can’t go back and change any of it. What I can do is tell you that you made the smartest decision you could have made by talking to him. Do you know what he likely would have done if you hadn’t?”

Edge didn’t want to think of it. Chad might not have physically abused Stretch, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t still angry about him getting away. 

Stretch shook his head. 

“He could have easily gotten you somewhere with more privacy, somewhere he could hurt you, but he didn’t because you gave him what he wanted in that moment.” He hugged Stretch a little tighter and kissed the side of his skull. “You made him feel at ease enough to let you stay where I could find you. Perhaps it was instinct, but it just proves that you are so much smarter than you believe you are.”

“i wanted to come get you. i could have--”

“Shh, it’s okay,” Edge crooned. “It’s over now, love, and you’re safe.” 

He was still shaking, but his tears had dried up and he was no longer clinging to Edge like his life depended on it. 

“can we go home?” he asked meekly. 

“Of course. Would you still like to come home with me?”

He nodded, and Edge carefully pulled him over to the car to open the door for him. Once he was settled inside, Edge jogged over to the driver’s door and got in. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Stretch has to face Chad again, alone at first. Physical paralyzation due to the overwhelming fear of facing his abuser unexpectedly. Intensely negative self-image thoughts coming back to life after a period of healing. 
> 
> Man, I wish I could have let Edge's LV loose on the bastard. Sadly, Edge is too aware of the crowd around them to let that happen. Not only would it damage the police force's reputation, but it could land him in trouble and Stretch needs him. Had the crowd all been fell-verse monsters, he probably would have torn Chad a few new assholes. But it wasn't, and there were children present who didn't need to see that kind of violence at a fun festival. Dammit.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit shorter than what’s become normal, but I’m quite happy with it. I hope you guys like it as much as I do!

The drive back to Edge’s place was filled with silence other than Stretch’s occasional sniffle.  As soon as he pulled into the garage and shut the door, he was out and helping Stretch out as well. 

“What would you like to do?” he asked once they were in the house. “If you’re still feeling overwhelmed, we can--”

Stretch’s mouth on his cut off his words. He kissed him deeply, hungrily, as his hands all but clawed at his shirt to pull it up. Edge allowed it, dropping the shirt in the hallway. He could worry about picking it up later, right now Stretch needed him. He let himself get pushed back against the wall, let Stretch tug at his belt and unfasten his pants until they fell to the floor. 

“fuck me, edge,” he begged. “please? i need...i want...just please?”

“I’ll give you whatever you need, Stretch,” he said softly, letting his hands rest gently on Stretch’s hips. “Just tell me what you need.”

“i need you to love me.” His tone was desperate, pleading. “please, edge. please love me. i can’t lose you. not after everything, not like this. i’m--”

Edge pulled him in and kissed him hard, letting his magic heat up naturally and pool in his pelvis instead of forcing it to form. 

“You’re not going to lose me,” he insisted, kissing him again. “I’m here, love. Do you want to go up to the bedroom?”

Stretch shook his head, but stopped and nodded only a second later. He looked so unsure of everything, and it hurt Edge to see it. “i don’t know. i’m sorry, edge. i can’t...i...”

Edge shook his head and gave him a softer kiss. “It’s okay, love. You’re not sure about going to bedroom, but you are sure about sex, am I understanding you correctly?”

Stretch nodded vehemently. “yes! I didn’t mean to make you think i wasn’t sure about that, i’m sorry, i just...”

“No more apologizing.” Edge took a moment to kick off his shoes and pants before helping Stretch out of his clothing. He then lifted Stretch into his arms. He took him to the couch and laid him down gently. “Let me make love to you right here, and later we can move to the bedroom, okay?”

He nodded and lifted his arms to pull Edge down on top of him. He let a hand drift down between them to press a finger inside Stretch’s cunt. He was too dry, not nearly aroused enough for penetration. That was okay. Edge had a few tricks to fix that. He began kissing his way down, taking his time and focusing on each bone as he went. Stretch’s cries were nothing short of pornographic, his hands eager to hold and grab and scratch at Edge as his body writhed beneath him. 

He didn’t rush as he kissed and licked at Stretch’s cunt, drawing out more of those lovely sounds. He closed his eyes as he came, savoring the rush of wetness and the tremble in his lover’s bones. 

The trip back up was faster, Stretch pulling him eagerly and begging for his cock. He took a moment to kiss him deeply, slowly, as he lined up and pushed inside. He moved without hurry, savoring each wild thrust of Stretch’s hips as he tried to get Edge to quicken his pace.

“I love you, Stretch,” he murmured, kissing the side of his skull. “And I’m going to take my time, make love to you slowly and show you how much I mean it.” He closed his eyes and swallowed as Stretch flexed his cunt around him, squeezing him and begging for more. “I’m going to show you that I will never, ever leave you. I’m yours and you are mine.”

“i love you, too,” Stretch panted. “so much. stars...angel above...fuck, edge,  _ please _ !”

He shifted enough to rearrange his hold on Stretch, lift his legs up over his shoulders, and pushed in with a little more force. He was going to ask how it was, if it was any better, but the wail he let out was answer enough. The look on his face, sockets closed and mouth hanging open, was enough to shoot a pang of longing through his soul. 

“Look at me,” he demanded, controlling his thrusts as his body demanded more. He wanted faster, harder, but he was going to keep his composure.

Stretch opened his eyes, and the pleasure in those sockets shook him. 

“Talk to me, Stretch. Tell me how it feels.”

He whined and arched his back. “so good, baby. i need more...please...harder.”

He gave him what he needed, thrusting harder into him, but keeping the pace slow. 

His answering moan and the orgasm that rocked through him almost broke Edge’s control. He sucked in a hissing breath and leaned over, careful not to push Stretch’s legs too far, and rested his hands on either side of his head. 

“You’re so fucking beautiful, Stretch. Beautiful when you moan for me, fucking gorgeous when you cum. That was number two. How many do you think I can fuck out of you tonight?”

Stretch reached up and cupped his face, his thumbs caressing under his sockets. “as many as you want, baby. just love me.”

He turned his head just enough to kiss Stretch’s hand. “Always.”

Three orgasms later, Edge was pounding into his lover chasing his own release. It had built up slowly, Stretch’s pleasure a much higher concern than his own, and now it was threatening to tear his body apart. Stretch cried out, begging for more, faster, and Edge couldn’t help but give it to him as he shoved his face into the crook of his neck and bit his clavicle. 

Stretch’s back arched as he wailed and came again, his cunt pulsing around Edge’s cock and throwing him over with the force of a freight train. Edge shoved into him and stilled, grunting out moans as his release spilled hot and heavy into Stretch’s overworked pussy. 

They were both panting, wildly breathless, as they came down together. Edge pulled out gently and kissed Stretch’s wet mouth, over his sweat-dampened face, and down to the mark he’d left on him. 

“I’m sorry,” he breathed.

Stretch pushed him back just enough to look at him. “for what, babe?”

“I bit you.”

He smiled and leaned up just enough to kiss him. “yeah, you did. it felt good.”

The knowledge that he hadn’t hurt his love made him feel better about it. They could talk about the mark later; he would be happy to heal it if Stretch wanted, but he couldn’t deny he liked the idea of an outward mark for those tale-verse who weren’t sensitive to soul marks. Everyone would know Stretch belonged to him.

The thought made him think about how he might go about getting something to show that he belonged to Stretch just as equally. 

It was too much for right now. Instead of pursuing that line of thought, he sucked in a deep breath and kissed Stretch once more before adjusting himself to lay next to him. He pulled the blanket off the back of the couch to cover the both of them before he pulled Stretch in close. He snuggled into his arms easily, so trusting and exhausted. 

“thank you,” he whispered. “for everything.” His hands drifted gently over Edge’s ribs and sternum. 

Edge kissed his skull. “Anytime.”

* * *

Stretch let himself relax in Edge’s embrace, let himself doze and accept that he felt just as safe and loved as ever. 

A part of him couldn’t fathom why Edge would still want him. Why did he let them make a mess in the hallway with their discarded clothes, and why was he allowing them to nap on the couch instead of going to shower immediately after some of the most incredible sex he’d ever had? They were both a mess of sweat and cum; Edge had to be uncomfortable. 

But Stretch was exhausted. He wanted to care, he did. He wanted to suggest that they go clean up or something so Edge didn’t have to lay there feeling gross, but fog had already settled in his skull and he was out within only a few minutes. 

He woke some time later with Edge propped up on his elbow beside him. He was watching Stretch with the same calm affection as always, and he smiled so sweetly when he noticed Stretch was awake. 

“Good morning,” he said softly. 

Stretch blinked a few times and furrowed his brow. “shit, is it really morning?” 

Edge chuckled and shook his head. “No. You’ve only been asleep for a little over an hour. How do you feel?” He gently placed a hand on the side of Stretch’s face, stroking his cheekbone.

He sucked in a slow breath as he took a silent inventory. He felt physically and mentally weak, but he wasn’t sure if he should say that. It obviously upset Edge when he did. He closed his sockets and reminded himself that Edge wouldn’t punish him for it. Instead, he’d help him work through it. 

“weak,” he finally answered, his voice low and embarrassed. 

Edge nodded. “Physically?”

“and...and mentally. it almost feels like i just had to cram for a final, but i didn’t know what class to study for so i had to cram everything.”

Edge’s arms wrapped around him and pulled him in tightly, Stretch’s back to his chest, and he kissed his neck. “You were, literally, shoved into what I assume to be a nightmare situation. I can’t pretend to know how you feel, Stretch, but I can say I’ve seen the effects of something similar on other victims of abuse. You’re entitled to be confused and scared, even now that you’re safe. There is no wrong way to feel after something like that, okay?”

He nodded and pressed himself back a little, just trying to feel more of Edge’s strong body against him. “i am confused.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He let his fingers play with Edge’s hands on his sternum. “i was so sure you’d be mad at me for talking to him, for not running away. i wanted to. i need you to know that, edge; i wanted to run away and come get you, but i couldn’t even think. i was so scared.”

“But you see, that is why I’m so damn proud of you.”

“proud?” Stretch asked, more than a little surprised. He turned his head to try to see Edge behind him. 

Edge nodded. “As scared as you were, you still managed to keep the situation under control until I could come back to you. I’m so sorry you had to face him alone, and I always will be, but I need you to know that I am not mad. 

“I’ve seen how hard it is for victims to face their abusers when they’ve had time to prepare and know that they have backup right there with them. I can’t even begin to imagine how scary it must have been for you, meeting him alone like that. But, you still didn’t do anything rash that might have made him react violently.”

Stretch shook his head. “i didn’t decide to do that, edge. i wasn’t thinking of the best ways to keep him calm, i was just...it was almost like instinct to keep myself from doing something to make him mad. like i was still with him.” 

He felt Edge kiss along his neck to his bitten shoulder. It was a little sensitive, but not painful, and he shifted just enough to give Edge a little more room. 

“I wish I could project my thoughts into your head so you’d understand. I wasn’t trying to say that you had made a choice, love; only that you are much smarter and braver and stronger than you believe yourself to be.” 

He didn’t sound upset at all, only patient and kind. Stretch nodded and turned his head to kiss Edge’s skull. He moved up to join the kiss, deepening it briefly. 

“Do you want to shower with me?”

Stretch nodded without hesitation. They got up and he followed his baby up the stairs, helping to gather their discarded clothing along the way. 

In the shower, they made out and touched each other as they washed away the grime of the day. Edge gently fingered another orgasm from Stretch as he washed his pelvis. In return, Stretch made sure to stroke Edge to completion, smiling as his cum marked his ribs. 

“how many different ways are you going to mark me,” he joked. 

Edge smirked, pulling him under the spray with him to wash away the new mess. “As many as I can. I love you, and I want the world to know it.”

Stretch felt himself blush. “i love you, too.”

Finally clean, they got out and dried off enough to walk back to Edge’s room. Neither had thought about clothing until Stretch realized he hadn’t brought anything over. 

“You could just go around naked for the rest of the night,” Edge suggested appreciatively. “The view would be quite nice.”

He huffed. “yeah, but see, i’d only do that if you were going au naturale as well, and clearly you’re not.” He’d already put on pants. “do you have something i can wear?”

“I’m sure I do. Come take your pick.” He gestured to the dresser. 

Stretch ignored the pulse of excitement that went through his soul at the idea of getting to wear Edge’s clothing. As he slipped on a pair of black sweats, he thought of something. 

“this was all a ploy to get me in your clothes, wasn’t it? that’s why you never reminded me to bring anything with me when we left my place earlier.”

Edge pulled on a shirt--black of course--and laughed as he stepped up to Stretch. 

“I already told you I’m going to mark you in every way I can. You in my clothing is another kind of mark, isn’t it?” He pulled him in and kissed him. “Besides, you’re sexy as fuck in my pants.”

Stretch smiled as a blush warmed his cheekbones and gave him another kiss. “i’m always trying to get into your pants.” He pulled away and went to the closet to pick out a shirt. He noticed Edge actually had a few more colors and picked out a crimson one and slipped it on. 

Edge took his hand and pulled him close. “What would you like to do now? I know we ate not long ago, but are you hungry at all? Thirsty? Horny?”

Stretch snorted. “down, boy! no, i’m actually really thirsty. not that kind of thirsty; i need a drink.”

“I’ll give you something to drink,” Edge said with a raised brow. He gave him a quick kiss. “Come see what I have and decide what you’d like.”

He led the way to the kitchen where Stretch decided on some water. He wasn’t exactly hungry, but he was probably snacky, and he watched with great satisfaction as Edge assembled a plate of various fruits and crackers, then took the plate out to the living room. 

They snuggled on the couch together and ate their snacks as they watched a movie. It was some drama Edge had recommended, and it wasn’t half bad. 

After the movie, they both agreed it was time for bed. 

“I’ll warn you now I normally get up very early,” Edge said as they climbed the steps. “I like to run before the sun rises.”

Stretch took a dramatic step back and placed a hand on his sternum. “why didn’t you tell me this before, you heathen? who the hell gets up before the sun?”

Edge raised a brow. “I do. You don’t have to get up with me, of course; I just wanted you to know so you don’t get upset if you wake up and I’m not in bed. You can sleep in as long as you like.”

“oh, thank the fucking stars,” he breathed. 

“Quit being dramatic and get in bed,” Edge said as he flicked off the light. 

“or what? you’ll punish me?” This was fun; he couldn’t wait to hear Edge’s response to that.

“Not tonight, no.” He shut the door and stalked over to Stretch in the darkness. “I’m actually very tired.”

Spoilsport. Still, he was tired, too, and got into bed next to his baby. Edge laid on his back and wrapped an arm around him as he snuggled up to him. He tossed an arm around Edge’s ribs and lifted a leg to rest over his. 

“now you’re trapped.”

Edge kissed his head and hugged him gently. “Being trapped by you is not what I’d call a bad thing.”

“and you say you’re not charming.”

He felt Edge’s silent laughter. “Actually, I believe I said I would trust your judgement in how you see me.”

Okay, he had a point. Still. “i’ll try not to slap you tonight.”

“Perhaps I should be the one trapping you instead?”

“nope, i’m comfy now. not moving. you had your chance, lover.”

“Goodnight, Stretch,” he laughed. 

He kissed Edge’s chest before he relaxed against him. “‘night.”

Beneath the humor and love swirling in his soul, he could still feel the insecurity and fear that seeing Chad had stirred up. It wasn’t gone, and Stretch had no doubts it would show itself again soon, but for now he revelled in the comfort and security offered by Edge’s arm around him and the rise and fall of his chest below his head. 

They would deal with the rest together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am honestly not sure at this point where the story is going to go. There are a few other points I want to hit, but as far as plot goes it’s pretty much downhill from here. 
> 
> I’d like to try something. If there is an aspect of healing from abuse that I haven’t touched on, any aspect but especially after one encounters their abuser again, that you would like to see me explore in this story, let me know. I can’t promise anything, but I can try. 
> 
> Thank you guys so much for reading my ramblings!


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve gotten a few requests of things y’all wanna see, so thank you so much for putting those in your comments. The bulk of this chapter and the next are full of fluffy sans bits (mixed with our main boys) because Emrys89 wanted to see some happy Sanses and I couldn’t possibly agree more that we need to see those boys some more. 
> 
> _**From EMRYS89:** Also may we see the sanses getting their happy days. Also wether they get a partner or not isn't important I just want blue and red to have happy days also._

Edge woke up with his alarm and shut it off quickly. Stretch was sleeping next to him, sprawled out on his back with one arm up over his head and the other draped over his own chest.

He leaned in and kissed him softly on the skull, being careful not to wake him, before he got up and stretched. He then got changed into a pair of running shorts, not bothering to change his shirt. 

Downstairs, he started some coffee and got his running shoes on before going out on his normal route. 

The morning was warm and the neighborhood quiet. He loved this time of morning when it was just him and pavement; he could run as quickly or as slowly as he liked, no need to cater to anyone else’s pace, and choose his level of exertion to fit what he needed each morning. 

When he’d first started running, it had been for no other reason than to stay healthy and fit so he could fight the world’s injuctices. He’d been a child at the time, encouraged by his brother who probably thought any excuse to exercise was a terrible one. Regardless, Red had even gone so far as to time Edge as he ran around a park near their home, cheering him on as he got faster. 

Being on desk duty had given him more of a need to stay fit with exercise, but even then running for him was now more cathartic than anything else. He could free his mind, breathe in fresh air, and remind himself how simple life could be sometimes. It wasn’t always hectic and demanding. 

He had worked up a good sweat by the time he returned to the house. He stopped in the kitchen and swallowed down a bottle of water before going upstairs to shower. 

Stretch was still asleep when he entered the room, now clean and fresh. He smiled as he realized his love had taken full advantage of his absence to spread out as much as possible. One hand hand dangled off the edge of the mattress near the upper corner while his bare toes poked out from beneath the comforter on the opposite corner. 

After dressing in a pair of jeans and a dark green t-shirt (he couldn’t wait to hear Stretch’s comments about it), he crept back out of the room and went to get some coffee and check the news for anything noteworthy. 

As he sat sipping his coffee and reading about some proposed changes to school boundaries, he thought about Chad and what would likely happen with him. He wanted to make sure the bastard would be behind bars for a long time, if for no other reason than to reassure Stretch that he’d never have to see him again. 

He picked up his phone and sent a quick message to his brother. 

**_Edge_ ** _ : I need all the information you can find on Chad.  _

Red had likely already done a full search on him, but it couldn’t hurt to ask him to look again. 

A half an hour later, he got a reply. 

**_Red_ ** _ : fuckin’ hell, bro, do you ever sleep? and what kinda dirt you want? more than hittin’ cops and threatenin’ your sweet-cheeks? _

Edge rolled his eyes. 

**_Edge_ ** _ : All the dirt. Leave nothing out, especially if it’s an arrestable offense. Any physical evidence is a bonus. I want everything. _

He could practically hear his brother giggling with glee. 

**_Red_ ** _ : you’ll have a full report waiting for you tomorrow. _

Edge didn’t even have to ask him to let him know sooner if he found anything big. 

An hour later, Edge was in the middle of replacing the newly burnt-out light in the refrigerator when he heard footsteps descending the stairs. He smiled to himself and quickly finished the task before going to meet Stretch. 

“Good morning,” he said brightly. 

Stretch looked a disheveled mess of bones and rumpled clothing. If he’d had hair or fur, Edge was sure it would be sticking up in an interesting array of spikes. 

“mornin’” he mumbled. He sucked in a yawn and accepted Edge’s hug. Suddenly, he pulled back, holding Edge at arms’ length. “what the hell is this? my baby, wearing something that’s not on the black spectrum? who the hell are you and what have you done with edge?”

Edge chuckled. “I abducted him. He’s tied up in the trunk of my car, and now you’re stuck with me.”

“dammit. hey, at least you’re kinda handsome.”

“Gee, thanks.”

Stretch leaned in and kissed him. “welcome.”

“Are you hungry?”

He nodded and shuffled toward the kitchen. “i also smell coffee. please tell me you have some form of creamer.”

“I’m sure Red has something you can use. Check the door in the fridge.” He followed Stretch in and pointed out two different creamers he kept just for his brother. And now for his boyfriend, he guessed. 

“ooh, caramel. nice choice.” He plucked the bottle out and went about getting himself a cup of coffee. 

“What would you like for breakfast?” Edge asked, already thinking about how nice it would be to break out his waffle maker again. It hadn’t been used in some time. “Waffles?”

Stretch hummed. “maybe. are they blueberry?”

As it so happened, he had fresh blueberries. “I can do that,” he said with a short nod. He started gathering what he’d need, setting out mixing bowls and ingredients. A few minutes later, Stretch was standing next to him.

“i didn’t realize you were going to make them. i’m sorry.”

He was looking down at the counter, one arm crossed over his chest to grip his opposite elbow in his hand. Brow furrowed in worry, he looked miserable. 

Edge set down the egg he was about to crack and turned to get Stretch to look at him. 

“Love, please remember that if it was too much effort I would have said so.”

He nodded and swallowed. “are you sure? you don’t have to do this just for me.”

“I know, but I want to do this for the both of us. We can have them together, okay? And yes, I’m sure.”

Stretch smiled and looked up at him, eye lights sparkling with unshed tears. “okay. that sounds really nice.”

“Good. Would you like to help?”

He watched Stretch argue silently with himself, waited patiently until he’d come to a verdict. Eventually, he sighed and shook his head. 

“no, i feel like i’ll just get in the way.”

Edge gave him a soft kiss. “You’re never in the way. However, you certainly don’t have to help; this is a simple process. Go sit and enjoy your coffee, love.”

Stretch nodded and hugged him before he went to sit back down at the table. 

Soon enough, Edge had two plates full of blueberry waffles with extra, fresh berries and whipped cream on top. He made sure to grab both the honey and the syrup. He sat next to Stretch and watched as he took his first bite. 

Edge was certain he would never get enough of that little moan when Stretch tasted something he liked, especially when it was something Edge had cooked. It was not only a boost to his ego, but also a shot to his groin and soul both, equal parts erotic and affectionate. 

“holy fuck, these are amazing.”

“Thank you. I’m glad you like them.” He could feel his cheekbones heating up, but he ignored it in favor of eating his own breakfast. 

“no, see, i don’t just like them. i  _ like  _ those frozen blueberry waffles you buy at the store. these? i’m gonna fucking marry these. i’m gonna have their babies and we’re gonna grow old and die together in an ancient cottage in the woods.”

Edge did his best to hide his smile. “So you’re saying that you’re going to cheat on me with my culinary masterpiece?” he asked keeping his voice flat.

Stretch froze with a bite halfway to his mouth. “uhh...maybe?”

“I suppose I have only myself to blame. Woe is me.” He raised a brow and took another bite.

He couldn’t hide his smile anymore as Stretch giggled next to him. “dammit, i love you.”

“I love you, too. Now eat, because the only way you’re growing old with those waffles is if they’re supporting your magic.”

Stretch’s grin was contagious. “yes, babe.”

* * *

Stretch leaned up against the doorway, trying to get his soul to calm down. Edge had just left, leaving him at his apartment. They’d spent the day together, unusual for a Sunday but absolutely amazing regardless. They’d talked, Stretch had been stupidly unsure about borrowing a pair of Edge’s pants when he put them on and they sat low on his hips, they’d laughed and loved and just generally spent the day in each other’s company. 

He was still in those pants. He let his hands roam over the coarse fabric as he remembered those first few moments of panic when his past convinced him that Edge would be upset. Instead, he’d been handsy and sexy as fuck as he described in detail what he liked about seeing him in his clothes. They’d had sex twice after that. 

They’d also talked about Chad. Edge had wanted to know what Stretch wanted to do, gave him options that let him decide how much he wanted to be involved. 

“You can still press charges, you know,” he said softly. “You can still see him get punished for what he did to you. However, to do that, you would have to be prepared to testify against him.”

The moment Edge had suggested it, his soul felt heavier than lead. His response was automatic. “i can’t do that.” He shook his head. “i can’t, edge, no one will believe me. they’ll think i’m lying and he’ll get away with everything and--”

“Shh, Stretch, it’s okay.” Edge pulled him in and held him tightly. He hadn’t been aware he’d started panicking. “Of course we would believe you, love, but that doesn’t mean you have to do anything. We have him on other charges already, and I’ve asked Red to look into him. I’ll make sure he’s put away for everything we can possibly put him away for. I just need you to know that he won’t be legally punished for abusing you. I’m so sorry I can’t make that happen without your testimony.”

“no, it’s okay. i never thought that would happen anyway, babe. i’m just...i guess i’m just happy that he’s behind bars and i don’t have to see him again.” He shuddered, bones shaking in Edge’s hold. 

Edge kissed him. “Of course not.”

Stretch pushed away from the door and looked around his apartment. He was not looking forward to the next week. The past few days had been so eventful, and he was tired. So tired. But, a part of him was also still scared. He knew Slate was gone and Chad was in jail, but something in his soul still felt so vulnerable, like another boogeyman was going to come for him in the night. 

He shivered and hugged himself as he walked to the bedroom. He pulled his phone from his pocket on the way and dialed his brother’s number. He had only texted with Blue a few times after everything was truly over with Slate, and not at all when shit went down with Chad. He had a few things to explain. 

“Good evening, Brother!” Blue answered brightly. “How are you doing?”

Stretch swallowed, feeling a little hollow. “um, i’m okay. i’m really good, actually.” 

“Are you sure? You sound...uncertain. Is everything okay? Is Edge treating you right? You tell me if he’s not, because I will--”

“bro, chill, edge treats me like a damn prince. i am a little uneasy and shit did happen, but i swear edge only makes things better.” He couldn't even imagine what he might have done if he’d run into Chad all alone, no Edge coming to protect him. He sounded like a fucking damsel in distress, just waiting for his knight in shining armor to come rescue him. What a fucking moron. He was an adult, he should be able to protect himself!

“Okay, so what happened? And are you okay? Do you want me to come over?”

He closed his eyes as he nodded into the phone. “yeah, actually i do. can you come stay the night with me? or can i come over there?”

“I’ll be there in a minute, Papy! We can have tacos and watch something sappy and romantic while you tell me all about your time at the festival with Edge.”

“sounds great, bro,” he managed. Edge called him strong. He wasn’t; he couldn’t stand the idea of being in his apartment alone. He needed someone to be with him. 

They hung up, and Stretch busied himself with getting some tacos started. He knew Blue would want to take over immediately, but he couldn't just not do anything.

As he worked, he started to hum to himself, a song he’d heard while with Edge. He stopped short, remembering what Edge had said about Red not hearing him sing while he cooked. He shivered and reminded himself that it was over; there were no more bugs in his house. 

He swallowed hard and forced himself to keep going, silent this time. 

The meat was done by the time Blue showed up, a bright blue bag adorned with star pins hanging from his arm. It was the same overnight bag he’d had since he was a child. He and Stretch had made those pins together. 

He pulled Stretch into a hard hug and kissed his cheekbone. 

“The house smells delicious, Papy! Of course, you didn’t have to start; I could have done everything.”

He shrugged. “i know, bro. i wanted to.”

“Alright, then. Let’s finish it up!” He bounced into the kitchen and got to work immediately after washing his hands. Stretch went in with him but sat on the counter and watched him work instead of helping. He listened as Blue talked about the night before when a few of his friends had come over for dinner. A ‘friendship date’, as he called it.

Stretch couldn’t help but smile at that. His bro was too cute.

With tacos finished, they both loaded their plates and went to sit in the living room.

“So, tell me what happened,” Blue said, smiling at Stretch. “The good and the bad.”

He nodded. “well, the good first, uh...edge and i had a great time at the festival. we got there a little later than we thought because we were...um...let’s just say we were busy.”

“Busy with what?” he asked, looking at Stretch with a furrowed brow. “Did something else happen before then?”

“kinda, yeah, but i’m not sure you want me to talk about that. i’ll tell you if you really wanna know, but it involves marking and shit.”

To his surprise, Blue smiled brightly. “Oh! He gave you that permanent mark?”

“y-yeah. he did. are you actually happy about that?” What the hell happened to his bro? Wasn’t he eternally pissed about that whole thing?

“Of course I’m happy, Brother! I’m happy because you’re happy, and I know you wanted that kind of mark. You love him, and he loves you.” There was no hint of sarcasm in his tone, no trace of anything but cheerful sincerity. 

Huh. Okay. “well, alright then. yeah, so that’s why we were a little late getting to the festival. but it was a lot of fun, we played games and there was this awesome obstacle course with all kinds of puzzles hidden inside. you would have loved it, bro.”

“Yes, that sounds like my kind of game.”

His smile fell as he thought about what had happened after that. He cleared his throat and continued speaking. “so, then we went and got food, and then...uh...hey, bet you can’t guess who i saw there.” 

Blue watched him curiously for a moment, something sad in his sockets. “I think I have a guess, but I don’t want to say it. You tell me.”

Stretch swallowed and nodded. “yeah, okay. we saw chad there.”

Blue closed his sockets and sucked in a deep breath. “I was afraid you’d say that.” He opened his eyes again and reached out to hold his brother’s hand. “Are you okay? Did he try to speak to you?”

“yeah, he did. it was scary as fuck, bro. i couldn’t do anything; i couldn’t even fucking move. edge had gone to get us some dessert, and i don’t know if chad was watching me or what, but he showed up when i was alone. edge came back and they kinda fought a little, but then edge arrested him. that was pretty cool to watch, actually,” he managed a smile at the memory. “i wish you could’ve seen his face. chad’s, i mean, when edge told him that he’d just assaulted a police officer. he knew how bad he’d just fucked up.”

Blue squeezed his hand. “So he’s in jail?”

Stretch nodded again. “yeah.”

“Good. And are you going to push the issue of what he did to you? He really should serve time for everything he did.”

He shuddered.  “i can’t, bro. i’m sorry, but i can’t. edge said i’d have to testify against him, and that would mean standing up there in front of him and telling strangers about what he did to me. they wouldn’t believe me anyway.”

“They most certainly would!” Blue huffed. “Brother, I’m not saying you have to do this, but just because there’s no evidence that he physically abused you doesn’t mean there was no abuse. You know that!”

His soul felt heavy again, like he was going to drown. “bro, i can’t. i’m sorry, i know i’m just disappointing you, but i’m not strong enough to do that. i’m such a fucking coward.” He started to pull into himself, leaning back on the couch so he could pull his legs up. 

Blue stopped him, pulling him into a hug instead. “No, Papy! No, you’re not a coward at all, and you’re strong in your own ways. Please, let’s forget about testifying; you don’t have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable, okay?”

“okay,” Stretch managed. He sniffled and hugged his brother harder. “edge is so patient with me. he’s such a good guy, bro. he said he’s gonna have his brother see if he can find other stuff to hold chad for, just to keep him in there longer. he’s so good to me. stars, i love him so much.”

“Good, Papy. That’s good. Focus on that instead. Tell me more about Edge.”

“he’s a funny guy, too. and i know you already know he can cook, but you have got to try his waffles one day. i don’t know what he did to them, but i swear i saw the angel when i ate them.”

Blue leaned back just a little. “They must be miraculous waffles if they made you believe in the Angel enough to actually see Them!”

Stretch snorted. “they’re just damn good. blueberry with fresh berries, whipped cream, and honey on top.”

“I’m happy to see you smile, Brother.”

“yeah. i mean, despite what happened, i am really happy. edge is being so patient with me. i couldn’t have asked for a better boyfriend.” He sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “y’know, i’ve kinda been thinking...i want you to be happy, too.” He hugged Blue back into his side. “what do you think about dating? finding yourself a sweet girlfriend? or maybe a boyfriend? you’d be a great partner, blue; you just can’t help but take care of people.”

Blue’s face was covered in a bright blush as he pulled away. “No, I don’t think so. Dating just...isn’t for me.”

Now this was not like Blue at all. He was a self-proclaimed romance expert, he had all the advice anyone could ever want or need about how to start up a conversation or get oneself out there. If anyone would enjoy dating, it should be his brother.

“well, okay, that’s fine, but can i ask why? you just seem like you’d love to date.”

Blue shrugged. “It’s...complicated.”

A sudden rush of irrational anger flooded Stretch’s soul. “did someone hurt you?” he demanded. “is that...did someone hurt you and i never knew about it? bro, i--”

“No!” Blue stood up and held his hands out, concern and regret written all over his face. “No, Papy, nobody ever hurt me. There were never any signs for you to have missed, okay? Nothing like that at all.”

“okay.” he nodded, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

“I guess it’s not actually that complicated after all,” Blue hedged, moving to sit back down beside his brother. 

Stretch nodded, waiting to see if Blue would want to talk more about it. 

“I’m just...not interested. I mean, I love having friends and doing things with them. I love cooking for people and even going on one-on-one friendship dates is great, but there are never any romantic dates. My friends know that; they know it’s all platonic. I don’t...have…” he stopped and looked down for a second before squaring his shoulders and looking up to meet Stretch’s eye lights. “I’m asexual, Brother. And maybe aromantic as well. I’m happy with friendships.”

Well, that was unexpected. And yet, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. His brother, always on the lookout for someone to care for but never anyone to share a kiss or a bed with. He nodded slowly and then pulled Blue into a hug. 

“then be happy with friendships, bro.”

Blue sighed in relief and hugged him back tightly. “I should have known you’d understand. I never thought you’d be angry or anything, but I was scared you’d think I was weird or different or...I don’t know...broken somehow. But I know I’m not! I’m happy with who I am, and I should have known you’d be happy for me, too.”

Stretch rubbed his back gently. “you’re damn right i’m happy for you.”

In that moment, Stretch felt like the older brother again. He was able to give his support to his brother, something he hadn’t been able to do in a long time. Blue was always supporting him, even when he couldn’t so much as stand on his own. It felt so good to be able to give a little of that back.

“i love you, bro.”

“I love you, too, Papy.”

They stayed up a good portion of the night watching comedies and talking about their lives. Eventually, Blue declared he had to go to bed in order to get up on time and be able to function at work the next day. 

They each had a shower, and as Blue was finishing his up, Stretch tried to think of sleeping arrangements. They’d never had a sleepover at his place before; it was always at Blue’s house with the spare bedroom. He felt awful thinking about having his brother sleep on the couch, comfortable as it was. Even so, he knew Blue would never allow him to give up his bed. If he argued about it, there was good chance they’d both end up on the floor out of sheer stubbornness. 

But then he got an idea. He smiled to himself and went to change the sheets on his bed. 

“You want to share the bed?” Blue asked after he’d dried off and dressed. 

“yeah, like when you were little. i just feel bad about askin’ you to take the couch, bro. bad enough that i don’t think i’d be able to sleep knowing you’re out here while i have my comfy bed.” He tried to look pathetic. It probably wasn’t very hard.

Blue huffed, but he smiled. “Fine, but if you hit me or kick me, I’m kicking you off the bed.”

“deal!”

They got into bed, and Stretch plugged both of their phones in. He then sent Edge a quick goodnight text and snuggled down into his blankets. He felt so much better with someone laying next to him. Blue squirmed a little and draped an arm around his ribs. 

“Goodnight, Brother,” he said softly. “I’ll make French toast in the morning.”

“you spoil me, bro.”

“If you think that, then just remember what time you have to get up in order to eat them while they’re still warm.”

Stretch couldn’t help but laugh at that. “okay, nevermind, you torture me.”

Blue giggled. “Hush and go to sleep.”

“you want me to read to you?”

“No, I want you to go to sleep.”

“but i’m not tired.”

“Yes, you are. You said so yourself not even a half an hour ago.”

They both laughed. 

“fine, you caught me. ‘night.”

Blue hugged him one more time before shifting to turn back over and pull the covers up to his chin. Stretch smiled to himself and closed his sockets, content enough to drift off to a peaceful slumber.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit more for Emrys89's request for happy Sanses. Red has a bit of work to do before he can really see those happy days, but it has to start somewhere! Luckily for him, his brother has got that patience thing down pat. 
> 
> Also, a quick warning for a mention of child abuse. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Red tapped a sharpened fingertip thoughtfully against the manilla envelope he held in his hands, considering his options.

Option one, he could just stash it at his brother’s desk at the precinct amongst the rest of the manilla folders and trust that Edge would find it. That was his initial plan, and one that had worked well in the past. It was what Edge would expect. 

Option two, he could take the folder right to Edge. He was probably finished with his morning run, back home and showering by now. 

Normally, there wouldn’t even be a decision to make. Edge was a busy guy with shit to do, and leaving the folder for him to find on his own time made the most sense. 

And yet, it wasn’t very...brotherly of him. 

He huffed to himself and shook his head. What the fuck did he care about brotherly? Edge sure as fuck didn’t give a shit. He was pretty damn certain that if Edge wasn’t as noble or ethical or whatever-the-fuck as he was, Red would have lost the title of ‘brother’ a long fucking time ago. 

His current conundrum was all Blue’s fault. As meddling and confused about how to be a good person as he was, he cared openly about his brother in a way Red found he actually envied. 

The morning after Slate was captured, he’d called Red. That was a shock and a half, to say the least. Red had questioned him down about how he’d gotten his number, and he really shouldn’t have been surprised to hear that Blue had taken it from Stretch’s phone, who had gotten it from Edge when things were getting hairy and he thought he might need to call him for some fucked up reason. 

He’d taken the number with the sole purpose of calling Red to make damn sure he’d gotten every single bug from his brother’s apartment. He wanted to know how Red knew he’d gotten it all, and he was not taking ‘cuz i know, fuck off’ as an answer. 

Edge hadn’t been the least bit surprised to hear it, either. When Red had told him, pretending to say it in passing to gauge his reaction, he’d only nodded and said that Blue really loved his brother. 

It had started a chain reaction that Red would rather have not started, and now here he was, thinking of taking a folder of notes about his brother’s boyfriend’s ex-abuser straight to said brother because he was feeling like he hadn’t done enough for Edge.

No, not just because of that. He always felt like that, but now he was having _emotions_ , wishing he’d been different, a better caretaker, wishing he wasn’t as emotionally constipated as he was because surely he’d made Edge feel like he wasn’t loved for the majority of his life.

Granted, he knew Edge trusted him. They had a pretty open relationship when it came to how to deal with life and solving their problems. They could read each other’s cues like it was written on paper because they’d had to learn to communicate that way. But they’d had to learn because Red was a shit guardian and saying the wrong thing or even speaking at all could have gotten them caught. 

He wanted to try to mend things between Edge and himself, but he didn’t even know where to start. How the fuck did someone apologize for fucking up their baby bro’s childhood?

He sucked in a deep breath and made his decision. If Edge took the folder and told him to fuck off, he would. He wouldn’t even bitch about it. 

A second later, he was in Edge’s entryway. He took a moment to hang up his coat and even took off his shoes. Maybe that was a good way to start. Edge was all about respect, and while Red never really understood that, he was willing to give it a shot.

“Good morning, Brother,” Edge’s voice called from the kitchen. 

He smirked to himself. Ever vigilant, his brother.

“mornin’ bro. got your report.” He walked in and tossed the folder onto the counter before going to the fridge. He swallowed and beat down a rush of guilt for raiding his brother’s supplies. Edge worked hard for what he kept stocked. 

He shut the fridge without taking anything and turned to see Edge staring at him strangely, the folder settled under his hands on the counter. 

“Thank you, but you didn’t have to bring it to me. You know you could have left it on my desk.”

Red nodded. “yeah, i know. wanted ta check in. see how things’re goin’ y’know?” It was a lousy excuse if ever there was one; Edge was bound to see right past that.

“Mm-hmm. And I suppose free food had nothing to do with that decision?”

A pang of guilt shot through his soul as Edge moved around him and started to pull out ingredients to make something. He had certainly noticed Red’s hesitance at the fridge and probably thought that meant there wasn’t anything he wanted. Fuck, this was going to be harder than he thought. 

“stop, bro,” he said, reaching out to physically stop Edge from getting anything else out. “you don’t gotta make nothin’.”

A smirk crossed his face. “I’m aware. I was going to make myself some crepes anyway; would you like one? Or three?”

Yeah, he couldn’t turn that shit down if he tried. He just nodded and went to sit at the table while his brother worked. 

“I don’t suppose there was any other reason for your visit this morning, was there?” Edge asked patiently, mixing as he spoke. 

Shit. Edge knew something was up. He needed to say something. Maybe he could play around it, let Edge guess what was going on. Yeah, because that wasn’t at all unfair. 

“uh…” Fuck, was it this hard for normal people to talk about shit? How did anyone emotion properly? 

Edge’s brow furrowed as he stared at Red, his eye lights seeming to pierce right through his soul. 

“Are you feeling well?”

Nope. Not well at all. He was pretty sure he’d started sweating a few minutes ago. 

“uh…” 

Word of the day, apparently. 

Edge stilled, all of his attention going to Red. He swallowed thickly and thought seriously about just teleporting out of there. Edge would surely find him and drag it out of him sooner or later, but now probably wasn’t the best time anyway. They both had shit to do. 

“Red?” His tone was an endless well of patience. 

He managed a hum that time. 

“You know you don’t need to say anything, right? You don’t need to talk to me if you’re not ready.” 

There was a hint of sadness in his tone, something Red actually couldn’t place. Why would he be sad about not having a conversation with his piece of shit brother? 

He pushed that aside and shook himself. He could either leave or he could say something, but he couldn’t just sit there silently and let his brother use precious resources to feed him when he had food going bad at home.

How many times had he done just that? Edge wasted so much on him; food, time, energy...so much. He really should have just let Red die when he’d had the chance. He wondered if Edge ever thought the same thing.

The clink of a plate being set in front of him brought him out of his thoughts. He looked up and regretted it instantly. Edge was looking at him, really looking at him, and it hurt so fucking badly to see his baby bro worrying about his sorry ass. 

He still didn’t say a damn thing as they ate. Edge didn’t prod, merely read through the file as he munched and sipped his coffee. 

It wasn’t until he was getting ready to leave that Edge said anything.

“Red? Thank you for bringing this by and for staying for breakfast. You know my home is always open to you.”

Yeah, he knew that. He knew Edge felt some misplaced loyalty to the person who raised him. He managed something of a smile that probably looked awful and nodded. 

“yeah, i know. thanks, bro.”  He stepped into his shoes and shrugged on his jacket before teleporting back home. 

Well, wasn’t that just a huge fucking waste of time?

* * *

Edge couldn’t say for sure what was going on with his brother, but there was certainly something bothering him. Red didn’t do things just to spend time with another person. He wasn’t sentimental, but that didn’t mean he didn’t care. Either he was worried about Edge, or something else was going on. 

Edge was going to figure out what it was. 

But for now, he had things he needed to do. He got ready for work and took the folder Red had dropped off with him. He’d have plenty of downtime during his shift to go through everything with a fine-toothed comb, arrange it in the most incriminating format, and present it to the chief. 

There ended up being much more in the file than Edge had any right to hope for. While he knew his brother had loved every moment of gathering intel, he still made a note to do something special to thank him. As it was, he could charge Chad with theft, robbery, and burglary all at the same time thanks to the evidence provided. In addition, Chad would be charged with assault to a minor (the asshole had hit his two-year-old nephew while babysitting, and they had medical records to prove it), domestic violence and child abuse both (thanks to both the nephew’s testimony and his mother’s push to have the case pursued), disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, harassment, public intoxication, and vandalism. 

With everything Edge had on him, he’d be lucky to see himself a free monster again before he rotted in jail. 

Chief Dreemurr was a little shocked to see everything Edge gave him, but he’d agreed that all the necessary evidence and clearance was there to press all recommended charges. He gave his approval, and Edge went to give Chad the good news. 

He stopped to call Stretch on the way; he knew his love needed to hear that his abuser wasn’t getting out any time soon. Granted, Chad could plead not guilty to some or all of his charges and be granted a trial, but with all of the evidence they had, there was little to no chance of him escaping at least the abuse charges against his nephew, and of course hitting Edge.

Chad was sitting smugly in the interrogation room where Edge had him moved. He couldn’t guess what the other was thinking, only hating that stupid smirk on his face. Edge wanted to hit him again, just for GP. 

Instead, he squared his shoulders and straightened his uniform jacket before stepping inside. 

“Good afternoon,” Edge said amicably enough. 

“Did you bring me some coffee like I asked?”

Edge ignored him. “I think you’ll be happy to know that Stretch is not pressing charges against you.”

Chad leaned back in his chair and smirked. “Of course he’s not. I trained him well.”

Edge’s soul pulsed with the need to retaliate against that statement. He took a deep breath, willing his LV to stay in check. Everything he had tucked neatly in the folder on the table between them would amount to literal shit if he lost his control and hurt the monster in front of him. 

A soft chuckle got his attention. “So what am I still here for then? If I’m not being charged with anything, you have to let me go.”

“I never said you weren’t being charged with anything,” Edge corrected.

“Uh, yeah, you just did.” He shifted uncomfortably.

“No, I said  _ Stretch  _ is not pressing charges. However, Stretch is not the one you hit. You hit me, and I am pressing charges. Regardless, that’s not why I’m here.” He took a second to open the folder and pulled out a picture of a small bear child with a swollen eye. He slipped it over to sit in front of Chad. “This is why I’m here.”

Chad went still. If color could have drained from his fur, it would have. 

“Where the hell did you get that?” he finally demanded. 

“Did you honestly believe that you could run from this?” 

“That was two fucking years ago!” 

“Are you finally admitting to what you did?”

Chad sat up straight then, cleared his throat, and evened his features. “I didn’t do anything.”

Edge nodded. “You hit your nephew.”

“There’s no proof,” he sneered.

“Are you telling me that your nephew just suddenly developed a black, swollen eye and a bloody nose while in your care? I know what your statement was. I suppose I should say your  _ statements _ ; plural. Your first was that he ran into a cupboard. The second was that he fell down the stairs. And the third--my favorite--was that you didn’t actually know how it had happened because you had left him alone to go to the store and he was just like this when you got back.”

“This is bullshit--”

“Your sister trusted you,” Edge continued, speaking over Chad without regard for whatever excuses he wanted to spit at him. “She trusted you with the care of her child, and what, you couldn’t handle a little whining? Did he get annoying? Children cry, Chad; it’s a fact of life.”

“This case was dismissed! I--”

“It was not dismissed. It certainly wasn’t pursued as it should have been, but it wasn’t dismissed. In order for that to happen, you would had to have proven that you didn’t touch the boy. You couldn’t do that. I wonder if it had anything to do with the bruise pattern on his face being a near match to the shape of your paw.”

Chad was silent then, clenching his jaw and stewing in anger. 

“I’ve interrogated so many abusers in this room. More than I can count. And do you know what they all have in common? Every single one? They can never make up their fucking mind on what exactly happened. They tell stories to try to make everything their victim’s fault, even the ones who only hit someone once. They know what they did was wrong, but they just don’t want to admit it.

“So tell me, what did he do? Did he get hungry? Or perhaps he was tired and wanted to lie in your bed? He told officers at the time that he hadn’t wanted to stay with you, that he was scared, but your sister didn’t have any other choice, did she? It was either leave her son with you or get fired from her job, and she chose to trust her brother despite her child’s fear. Tell me, how did it feel to betray her trust like that? Did you enjoy it?”

The bear sat forward suddenly, spitting in his anger as he shouted. “Of course I didn’t fucking enjoy it, you sick bastard! That little shit wouldn’t stop fucking crying because he was scared and he wanted his mother. I told him to shut up, I warned him that I was losing my damn temper and I’d shut him up if I had to. He was screaming! And all because he thought I was going to hurt him!”

Edge nodded. “Interesting how children seem to just know bad people. He didn’t just  _ think  _ you were going to hurt him, he knew it.”

Chad growled. “So that’s what this was all about, huh? Getting a confession out of me? Well, congratulations, I confess. I hit my nephew. Are you fucking happy now?”

“Yes, actually I am. I didn’t technically need your confession, but having it certainly helps. I can now move forward with everything.”

Edge watched with glee as Chad’s face fell, anger giving way to shocked dread. “What do you mean ‘everything’?”

He allowed himself to smirk and lean forward just a little. “You know exactly what I mean. You may be dumber than you look, but even you know how many times you’ve broken the law.”  

He opened the folder then and read out loud the different charges Chad was going to be faced with. By the time he was done, Chad was slumped down in his chair, his expression utterly defeated. It was a good look on him. 

“So you see, Stretch isn’t pressing charges against you because he doesn’t have to. You’re going away for a long fucking time, and you will never see him again.” 

He stood up and left the room, feeling a little proud of himself. He dropped the file back off to the chief to hand up the chain of command, then went back to work.

With all of that out of the way, he had time to think about how he was going to figure out his brother.

* * *

Red was pretty sure he was going out of his damn mind. Whatever mind he had left, that was.

He wanted to tell Edge he was proud of him. The charges against Chad were all filed and went through uncontested, and the shit was sentenced to a grand total of thirty-five years with an extra ten years probation, and no chance of parole. It was a hell of a fucking win. 

There was a part of him that wanted to do something like Blue would do and just tell him that he was proud and maybe give him a hug. On the other hand, that thought made him feel all itchy and not in a good way. Physical contact like that was not his idea of safe, sane, and consensual. No thanks. 

But...he did love his bro. And he was fucking proud of him. And he wanted to show it...somehow. 

This whole  _ feelings  _ thing was overrated. Edge had grown up alright. He was a good person despite Red, and that was all Red had ever wanted. 

He grunted and told himself that the easiest and fastest way to get this shit over with was to just say what he needed to say and let everything else fall where it would. Either Edge would be okay with it, or he’d laugh in Red’s face tell him he’s crazy. Which was true, but still. 

He figured he had his chance when Edge invited him over for dinner Thursday night. Red tried not to read too much into it; he already knew Edge was going to figure out what was eating his big brother, and dinner was the perfect time. He knew Red well enough to know he wasn’t going to stuff his pants full of lasagna for later and book it. He’d stay and actually eat because he could. It was a luxury he could afford, and damn him to hell if he didn’t love it.

The house smelled delicious as it always did when he got there. He took the time to hang up his jacket and take off his shoes, then went to find his bro in the kitchen doing his thing. 

“Good evening, Brother,” Edge said happily. 

“‘sup. y’know, you still sound like some count vampire when you say that shit. all y’need’s the accent.”

Edge chuckled. “Velcome to my home, my noble sacrifice.”

The accent was spot on, as Red knew it would be. He snorted and made his way over to the table where a basket full of breadsticks was waiting.

He picked one up and ate half of it in one bite. “bit heavy on the garlic for a vamp, ain’tcha?” he mumbled through the bread in his mouth.

Edge sent him a glare for talking with his mouth full. He returned it with a wide grin to show the chewed-up, half-dissolved remains. 

“Perhaps your myths are wrong then?”

“guess so.” He took another breadstick.

“Please don’t fill up on those, Red. The lasagna is nearly done.”

“you really think i can’t eat all this bread and half the pan if i wanted to?”

Edge walked over to the table and slapped his feet to knock them off the chair he’d propped them on. He then sat down and leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. 

“I think you could do just that, and probably more, if you were challenged to do so or thought you wouldn’t eat again for a while. Neither is the case tonight, so you’ll leave the rest of the breadsticks alone until dinner is ready.” He slid the basket away from Red. 

Red did his best to pout. “but i’m hungry.”

Edge looked at him for a moment, really looked at him in that way that said he was seeing too much. It made Red shiver. 

“nah, i’m just jokin’, bro. i can wait.” He sure as fuck didn’t want Edge thinking he was going through a hard time. He could afford all the food he’d ever want, and then some, and he knew Edge would only thrust money and leftovers and whatever else he thought Red might need at him if he thought for even a second that Red wasn’t doing okay. 

Edge nodded curtly and got up to check on something in the kitchen. 

Red sighed to himself. Crisis averted. Mostly. He still had shit he needed to say and no idea of how exactly he was going to say it. 

Dinner was delicious, as Red had known it would be. His bro had a gift; he could make something out of nothing and make it taste good, too. It was no shocker that when he had a fully stocked kitchen his meals became downright pornographic in their tastiness. 

For the first time in recent memory, Red took the time to actually savor his food. Edge had put time and effort into making one of Red’s favorite meals just so he could figure out what was going on. The least he could do was enjoy it while he inhaled it. 

It had become something of a tradition that after a shared dinner, they’d watch a movie or play a game, something to spend a little time together. Edge never complained, had even gone so far as to leave little hints that he was fine doing things Red would prefer by leaving out a DVD or a game he knew Red would like. It was far more than Red had ever deserved, but he’d taken it with no questions asked because he knew it wouldn’t last forever. 

But then it just...never stopped.

Even today, there was a movie case sitting out on the arm of the couch where Red knew it was probably annoying his brother, but it was a movie he’d once shown an interest in seeing. 

He didn’t say anything as he set it up, and neither did Edge. They sat on the couch together and watched the movie. It was better than Red had expected it to be. 

As the credits rolled, Edge turned to look at him. 

“Thank you again for your hard work in gathering intel on Chad. It was your efforts that let us put him away.”

Red scoffed. “i didn’t do nothin’ but turn a few stones.”

“Those stones were crucial, and I’m grateful.”

“yeah, it was the least i could do.” Red liked what he did for a living, he really did. Information was a currency, and he was rich with it. Even so, when his brother asked a favor of him, he did it with no questions asked, no favor needed in return.

“Why is that?” Edge asked. 

Red swallowed. “maybe ‘cause you’re a good bro. an’ maybe ‘cause you deserve to be able to call in a favor once in a while.”

Edge hummed. “You don’t do favors for anyone else.”

It was true. Red had set a price for what he did, and everyone had to pay it one way or another. 

“you ain’t just anyone, bro.”

“No, I suppose I’m not. Still, I need to ask you something, and I want your absolute honesty.”

Red looked over only to see Edge watching him with that concerned gleam in his sockets. He hated that gleam. It was the gleam Edge got when Red was sick or too weak to even teleport. It told him that Edge knew something was wrong and he was going to find out what it was. 

He nodded and shifted uncomfortably. “‘kay.” 

Edge inched closer and reached out only enough to grasp at the hem of his shirt. It wasn’t enough to keep him from teleporting, but it was enough to give Edge’s reflexes a chance to grab hold if he tried. 

“I know something’s wrong. I can feel it. I just can’t figure out what it is. So please, I’m asking you as your concerned brother, to tell me what’s going on.”

Red’s soul plummeted through the floor. He couldn’t handle this. All this...loving and caring and shit he didn’t deserve. 

“i’m sorry i was such a shit brother,” he finally managed. The words tasted sour, like he was asking for forgiveness. He didn’t deserve that and he wasn’t about to expect it. He just...wanted Edge to know that he was sorry. 

“You were never a shit brother, Red.” He actually sounded sincere.

Red scoffed. “i wasn’t nothin’  _ but  _ a shit brother, edge. however the fuck you turned out as good as you did wasn’t because’a me.”

“It was absolutely because of you. You encouraged me and sacrificed so much for me. If you ever once doubted me, you sure as fuck never showed it.”

This was too much. He shook his head and started to stand up. Edge’s hand on his shoulder stopped him, and he did his best not to growl or snap at him. The moment he eased back, Edge’s hand went back to his shirt. 

“Red, tell me honestly, what brought this on?”

“none’a yer fuckin’ business!” he snapped. 

“Are you sure about that? Because I feel like this is my business. You’re my brother, and if you’re going to start falling back down into--”

“i ain’t fallin’ into shit!”

Edge continued, talking over Red’s contradictions.

“Depression and possibly suicidal thoughts, then I need to know.”

Red growled and stood up, shoving Edge’s hand off of him. He didn’t teleport; it would only make Edge more worried, and that was an outcome he wanted to avoid. 

“i ain’t gonna fuckin’ kill myself, for fuck’s sake.” He started pacing the living room, from the couch to the TV currently looping through the DVD’s menu screen and back. “you wanna know what brought this on? that little shit calling me to make sure i got everything outta stretch’s apartment.”

Edge’s brow furrowed. “Blue? Why would that make you feel like this, Red? Did he say something else?”

Red waved away his concern. “no, ‘course not. but i wouldn’t’a done that shit, if it was you who’d been spied on. i wouldn’t’a called nobody.”

Edge actually laughed at that. Red glared at him. “No, you’re absolutely right. You wouldn’t have called anyone. Instead, you would have come out to check for yourself. I know what kind of brother you are, Red. Just because you don’t make phone calls doesn’t mean you don’t care about me.”

Red’s soul stuttered as he turned to look at Edge. His knee-jerk reaction was to argue that he didn’t care. He’d said it before. Edge had always laughed it off as the joke it was intended to be. 

“i put you through hell, bro,” he mumbled instead. “growin’ up.”

“No, you kept me alive. There’s a difference. It was our society that put us both through hell.”

Edge didn’t bother standing up or trying to get Red to stop pacing. He just sat there and watched, countering Red’s self-accusations. 

“the minute you could, you took over everything. the shopping, the cooking, the bills. i know i was shit at all of it. i’m the older brother; i should'a been the one doin’ all that shit.”

Edge nodded. “Perhaps, but the truth of the matter is that you had taken care of me since I was too small to walk. I felt it was only fair that I give you a break. I never intended to overthrow you, Brother, and I apologize if that’s what it seemed I was doing.”

Something was breaking in him, a dam somewhere deep in his soul was giving out and he wasn’t sure he could handle it. He stopped pacing and sat down on the floor instead, curling up as much as he could to avoid falling apart. 

“when you started school...i tried to help you. i knew it was expensive and the job you had wouldn’t help. i didn’t realize...until it was too late...and i dunno how the fuck you did it, bro, but you graduated and you kept my sorry ass alive.”

It was his darkest time, even darker than watching his sickly little bro laying in bed, too weak to stand, and praying to an Angel that didn’t exist to just let him live.

He’d tried to get money the right way, the way Edge could accept it, but he wasn’t any good at that legal crap. Out of desperation, he turned to the quickest way he knew how to make money--drugs. Little did he know that one tiny fuckup would get him addicted to his own stock. He’d already been a certified alcoholic by that time, and soon his brother was wiping vomit off his chin and tossing him into a cold bath to wake him up. It had happened more times than Red cared to admit.

He looked up when he felt movement beside him. Edge had moved to sit down next to him, hands carefully folded on his lap. 

“Red, I always knew what your intentions were. I always knew that whatever had gotten you addicted wasn’t what you had meant to happen. I did my best to try to talk you out of going back for more, until I couldn’t take your resistance any longer. I couldn’t watch you kill yourself more every night, and so I did something about it. That doesn’t mean you had no choice in the matter. You could have easily gone right back to the drugs and alcohol, but you didn’t. You stayed sober for me. You can’t imagine how proud I am of you for that, because I know how hard it was for you to get clean.”

Edge...proud of him…? It was the final blow, the last in a long list of things he’d never deserve no matter how hard he worked.

Like some damsel in an old movie, Red stayed on the carpet crying into his knees. Edge never touched him, but he could feel his presence. He was grateful for it. He couldn't stand the thought of being alone. 

When tears finally dried up, Red sniffled and tried to sit up a little. Edge’s hands hovered, an offering for support if he needed it. 

“i always thought you hated me,” he said, his voice thick and wet. 

“I’ve never hated you, Brother. There are certainly times when I’ve disagreed with your way of handling issues, but I’ve always known that you have your reasons for doing things the way you do.” 

Red nodded and wiped his face. He looked up when Edge held something out. A tissue. He smirked and took it, blowing snot into it loudly. He then tried to hand it back to Edge and laughed at the disgusted look on his face. 

“don’t get any ideas, bro. i ain’t about to get all touchy-feely.” He shivered; just imagining hugs was enough to make him itchy.

Edge snickered. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Well, this had been a day. He felt a bit better, knowing his baby bro didn’t hate him. It was an odd concept, but one he thought he could get used to.  He stood up and watched Edge stand next to him. 

“thanks fer dinner, bro.”

“Anytime, Red. You know I mean that.”

He nodded at Edge before he went to get his jacket and shoes. After all these emotions, he was up for a trip to the void. He needed to feel nothing for a while. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm not 100% sure what Red has here. It's not exactly haphephobia because he's not afraid of being touched. He's fine when the touching is on his terms and is not intimate like hugs or backrubs or the like. It's also not exactly allodynia because although intimate kinds of touch do make him feel physically uncomfortable and a bit itchy, there's no actual pain involved. I'll be honest and say that I really didn't research this much at all. I just went with what felt like Red, and this was the result. 
> 
> Also, just an FYI for anyone who is interested: Neither Red nor Edge were ever physically abused by their dad. They were, however, severely neglected. Gaster was a busy guy who was always gone, always had more important things to do than to care for the kids his wife had left him with when she died. So yeah.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is for Nanenna, who wanted to see some tables turned and Edge being in need of comfort. I love this idea; our big, strong boy is only a monster, after all, and even he has soft spots that can be hurt. Granted, I feel like Edge has very few of them, but when they get hit, they get hit hard. 
> 
> _**From NANENNA:** It'd be nice to see the tables turned a little, have something happen that throws Edge for a loop and Stretch be there for him. I just! Love it! When couples are there for each other! It feels so warm and comfy when they can be each other's security blankets. TuT_

Thursday night after Red left, Edge spent the majority of the evening thinking about what he’d learned. He honestly never would have guessed that Red thought he hated him. He had put a lot of effort into proving the contrary. 

It seemed guilt had eaten away at his brother far more than he could have suspected. 

He was happy that Red had managed to cut open the wound to let it drain a bit. Past experience told him that it wasn’t going to be the last time it needed to happen, and soon Red would be back to talk about more. Edge just hoped Red let himself do just that. 

Red was not a people person. Anyone could tell just by looking at him that getting too close would be a hazard to their safety. He didn’t talk about things; he was a monster of action instead, carefully planning out ways to show he cared while still remaining aloof enough to avoid the zone of affection. 

However, none of that had ever made Edge think he didn’t care. He had always had the utmost respect for his brother. He had always known it was accident that got him addicted to drugs. He didn’t know exactly what had happened, but there was no doubt in his mind Red hadn’t intended to go down that path. The trouble was, once he set foot there, the ground gave way and he was swept along for the ride. 

That wasn’t to say that it wasn’t Red’s fault. Edge wasn’t naive enough to think that Red hadn’t made awful decisions, one of them being to start dealing drugs in the first place. But, Edge saw no purpose in holding grudges, especially when Red worked so hard to get clean and stay clean just for him. 

Edge had spent the majority of the night and the following day thinking about Red and how he could go about showing his brother that he’d meant what he’d said. He never had hated Red, and he never would. 

He even talked to Stretch about it a little on Saturday when they got together. He didn’t want to focus too much on his brother while with his boyfriend, however, and most of Saturday was spent between Stretch’s legs. 

Sunday was the day Edge had set aside to his weekly shopping. Grocery shopping was one of the many weekly chores that Edge didn’t mind doing. Not anymore, anyway. 

Back when he was still a child and Red called all the shots, they shoplifted more than they actually actually shopped. At the time, Edge didn’t understand how necessary it was. As he grew older and came to understand money and how it worked, he understood more about why his brother had done those things. 

Forgiveness was easy to give, especially when he saw how much it really hurt Red to raise him. Edge grew quickly, far quicker than Red ever had, and was almost constantly hungry. Keeping food on the table could not have been easy, especially when asking for help was more likely to get them taken into foster care and separated than it was to actually get them help.

Edge refused to take part in the stealing, even when he was old enough to understand why they had to do it. He would eventually take over the shopping after he’d been able to start working and some honest income simply because he could make sure that everything was paid for fairly. 

That experience was another shock to him, however. He hadn’t realized just how hard it was to survive on the food a poor household could afford. Cheaper food often meant less healthy, or close to its expiration date. Edge vividly remembered the one and only time Red had gotten sick from his cooking. He’d felt terrible, and from then on he made sure to check dates and actual nutritional value of the things he bought. 

The first cookbook he ever started was one that helped him to spend his money wisely and still provide healthy enough sustenance for both himself and his brother. 

Now, however, shopping was almost a treat. He didn’t have to worry about the cost anymore, and he could buy the healthiest ingredients. He was still wary of cost; there was no need to spend more than necessary, but he wasn’t about to spend less when quality was lost with the price. 

He had a few things in his cart as he pushed it down another aisle, comparing his list with what was on the shelves. He stopped to compare two different brands when he heard it. A tiny whimper followed by a sniffle. 

He looked around, but he was alone in the aisle. After another whimper, he realized it was coming from the next aisle over. Curious, he wheeled his cart along and turned the corner. 

In the middle of a frozen food aisle was a small wolf monster in a cute pink sundress with large sunflowers patterned on it and yellow sandals. She was wringing her paws together in front of her and pacing the width of the aisle. 

“Hello,” he said softly. “Are you okay?”

The girl looked at him and gasped before rushing to press her back against a cold freezer door. “Who are you?” she demanded. 

“My name is Edge,” he put a hand over his sternum. “Are you lost?”

She sniffled again and looked around wildly like she was searching for a way out. She must be afraid of talking to strangers. Smart girl. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his badge. 

“I’m a police officer,” he said softly. “And I’d like to help you find your parents, if that’s okay?”

Her eyes widened and she took a step closer to inspect the badge. “Really? But you’re a fell-verse monster.”

He nodded. “Yes, I am.”

“Mommy says all fell-verse monsters are bad and want to hurt me.”

Oh. He looked down and slowly put his badge away. Perhaps he’d just be telling an employee where to find a lost girl. Clearing his throat, he managed to reply. 

“Well, I have to say that your mommy is wrong. Most of us would never hurt anyone, let alone a child. I understand if you’re too scared to come with me, however. You are smart to be wary of strangers.”

She swallowed and shuffled her feet in place, shifting her weight back and forth. “Um...You really want to help me find my mom?” She peeked up at him, shy or scared, but either way unwilling to be left alone again. 

Edge nodded. “Yes. How long have you been lost?”

She shrugged and took a tentative step closer to him. “I don’t know. I was looking at some toys and when I looked around again she was gone. I tried to call out for her, but I couldn’t find her. And then I ran around looking, and I’m so scared she went home without me!” She was openly crying now, her fear showing on her face and in her voice. 

Edge knelt down to be closer to her height.  “It’s okay to be scared,” he reassured, “but I’m certain your mommy is just as worried about you and would never, ever leave without you. Let me take you up to the front counter where they can call for her, okay?”

She nodded again and took Edge’s hand when he reached out. He lifted her up and put her in the child seat of the cart. 

“May I ask your name?”

“Emily,” she whimpered. “And yours is Edge?”

He nodded. “Yes it is. How old are you, Emily.”

“I’m six years old.”

“Six! No, I would have guessed seven for sure.”

She gave him a small smile, and his soul settled a little. Perhaps he could help ease just a little of her nervousness around fell-verse monsters, help lessen the amount of bigotry in the future.

Once at the front of the store, Edge pulled his cart up alongside the customer service counter and lifted Emily out of the seat. He explained to the worker there what was going on.  The employee, a freckled lizard monster with a name badge that read ‘Clyde’ nodded.

“What’s your mom’s name, sweetheart?” Clyde asked. 

“It’s Heather.”

Clyde nodded. 

“Will you wait up here with me?” Emily asked, reaching up to take Edge’s hand again. 

“I’d be happy to.”

Heather was paged shortly after, and together they waited. 

Only a few minutes passed before she showed up. She wasn’t very tall, but she was obviously upset. Without a concern for anyone else, she rushed up to Emily and picked her up in a tight hug. 

“Oh, my baby girl! I was so scared I’d lost you. Are you okay? Where were you? You know better than to run off like that!”

She set the child down and looked up at Edge, a smile on her face as though she were about to thank him. The moment she saw his face, her entire demeanor changed. Her smile dropped, her back stiffened, and she pushed Emily behind her in a blatant show of distrust.

“You brought her up here?” she asked incredulously. 

Edge nodded. “I did. I found her in--”

“I don’t care where you found her. Don’t you ever touch my baby, do you hear me? We don’t owe you anything!”

“I would never suggest--”

“Oh, I know exactly what you’d suggest, you sick fuck. Stay the hell away from my baby.”  She turned around and picked up her kid before she all but ran the other directly. Emily watched him over her shoulder with sad eyes and a half-hearted wave. 

He swallowed and told himself that was only to be expected. Emily had even told him what her mother thought of fell-verse monsters; there was no reason for him to be surprised by anything that had just happened. 

And yet, he was surprised. Heather’s reaction to him had caught him off-guard, and her unrestrained hatred of his kind hurt his soul. She honestly believed that he wanted to hurt her baby. 

“You okay, man?” Clyde asked. 

Edge cleared his throat and nodded. “Yes, I’m fine.” His voice was thick, and he cleared his throat again. “Thank you.”  He sucked in a deep breath and pushed his cart, going back to his shopping. 

* * *

For the rest of the week, Edge did what he normally did when things upset him: he pushed it aside. He’d faced situations similar to the woman in the store before; it certainly wasn’t his first experience with bigots or their hatred. All of those experiences had a part to play in who he was as a monster, and this was no exception. He’d be just fine.

And he was. For the most part. His soul still felt a little bruised, but he chalked that up to being stuck in a desk job instead of out in the field where other things could take precedence in his mind. Reading about another officer rescuing abandoned kittens and filing their paperwork was much different than actually rescuing the kittens. 

Throughout the week, he’d talked with Stretch and had made plans to spend a day in with him on Saturday. They’d have a movie marathon and possibly cook together if Stretch felt up to it. 

He was having a hard time being by himself, but Edge could only say he was more and more proud of him every day.

He pulled up to Stretch’s place and sighed in relief. It was always a comfort to spend time with his boyfriend, but even more so when his soul was feeling uneasy for any reason. Being with Stretch just made him happy, and he needed that right now. He locked his helmet to his bike and walked up to Stretch’s door. 

“hey, baby,” he crooned happily when he answered. 

Edge leaned in and stole a kiss. “Good afternoon, love. How are you?”

Stretch shut and locked the door before he pulled Edge into a hug. “so much better now that you’re here.”

He hugged back tightly. “Is everything okay?”

“i don’t know. maybe.” He shrugged and took a deep breath before backing up just a little. “i feel...unstable, i guess is a word for it? i actually didn’t even get out of bed until about an hour ago, and that was only because i didn’t want you to see the kitchen as messy as i’d let it get.” He looked down, obviously ashamed of himself. 

Edge gently touched his jawline, urging him to look back up. “You know I’d never judge you, Stretch,” he said softly. 

“i know, but that doesn’t make it any less embarrassing.”

He hugged him again and gave him another kiss. “Then why don’t I tell you how proud I am of you that you were able to get up and clean a bit before I got here?” 

Stretch smiled a little and nodded. “that’d be good.”

Just as he’d known it would, being around Stretch helped to ease his troubled soul. They’d already talked about what movies they might want to watch, and first on the list was one he’d never seen before. Stretch was adamant that he’d enjoy it based on the other dramas he liked. 

Together they whipped up a few snacks and went to sit on the couch. The movie started out decently; it was a story about a fell-verse monster trying to prove to himself and the world that he was better than what society said he was. 

In truth, it was a good movie. If Edge hadn’t let himself take Heather’s words so personally, if he didn’t still feel the shame of what he was weighing on his soul, he may have liked it so much more. As it was, one scene in particular made him feel uneasy. 

The fell-verse teenager found a wallet on the street. After searching through it to try to find identification and failing, he took it to the police as monsters were instructed to do. Instead of thanking him and letting him go on his way, the teenager was arrested for theft. He was accused of taking the ID card and any cash out before turning it in. 

Edge’s soul was racing, pounding too hard, and his left socket ached due to the pressure of the magic rushing through his skull. He closed his eyes and tried to take a deep breath. 

“whoa, edge, are you okay?” Stretch asked, his voice pitched higher in worry. “babe?”

He managed to open his eyes only to see everything was blurry. After blinking a few times, something wet slipped down his right cheekbone. 

“I’m fine,” he managed. 

“i’m not buyin’ that for a second. do you want me to turn it off? we don’t have to watch this.”

Edge noted he’d already paused the movie. He shook his head. “No, this is fine. It’s not the movie.” He cleared his throat and sat up straight. “I’m sorry, Stretch.”

He felt a hand on his shoulder. “babe, you don’t have to apologize to me if a movie gets to you. especially one like this. i’m the one who should be sorry; i didn’t think about how--”

Edge pulled him in and kissed him softly just to stop him from continuing that thought. “Love, it really isn’t the movie. I’m okay.”

Stretch huffed and rearranged himself so he could see him better. “okay, edge, listen. i get it if you don’t wanna talk about it. that’s fine, but please don’t pretend that everything is all hunky-dory when it’s obviously not. you know you’d never let that shit fly if i was the one crying.”

He was right. Sucking in a deep breath, he nodded and let it out slowly. “I’m sorry. You’re right; I wouldn’t like that.” He shook his head and moved to sit back more comfortably on the couch before he pulled Stretch over onto his lap. “Something happened last Sunday that left me feeling...not good.”

Stretch nuzzled into him and lightly played with the neckline of his shirt. His slight weight in his lap and his breath on his neck felt nice. 

“do you wanna talk about it?”

“I was shopping when I found a lost child in one of the aisles…” He closed his eyes and recounted the experience. He left nothing out, even when his voice began shaking as he talked about what that mother had wanted to accuse him of. 

Stretch hugged him hard when his voice broke. “oh, baby,” he cooed. “my baby. that woman doesn’t know shit. you’re one of the best monsters there are, tale- and fell-verse combined. 

“I try so hard,” Edge forced himself to say. He felt weak, something he was not used to, but he allowed it. He was safe here with Stretch, and Stretch would never judge him for it. “I try not to let these things get to me, and I don’t even know why it did. I just wanted to help. And I’d never, ever hurt someone’s kid. Never.” He clung to Stretch harder, lowering his head to hide his face in Stretch’s shoulder. 

“you try so hard because you’re too good for the rest of us.” He kissed Edge’s head. “and it bothers you so much because you know what kind of people do hurt little kids. your job and your passion is protecting us mere citizens from those kinds of people, and to be lumped in with them by a stranger who knows nothing about you hurts.”

He nodded and just held on as Stretch rubbed his back. 

“i wish i could have been there with you. i could have told her how amazing you are, how much you love kids and how much you care. i’m so sorry that happened to you, but don’t you ever doubt for one second that you are worth so much more than those assholes think, okay?”

“Okay.”

They sat in silence for a while, enjoying each other’s reassurance and love. 

“how do you feel?” Stretch asked a bit later. He grinned, loving the idea of using Edge’s words back on him.

Edge nodded. “Better. Thank you.” He leaned in and stole a kiss.

Stretch kissed him back. “anytime, babe. should we skip the rest of this movie? we have plenty others we wanted to watch.”

After a moment, he nodded. There was no reason to push himself through a movie he wasn’t mentally or emotionally prepared to deal with, and Stretch was obviously more concerned with making sure he was okay than finishing the movie. He appreciated that more than words could describe. Just the idea of Stretch caring for him like he had cared for Stretch made the love he felt swell to a near ache.

Before Stretch could get up, he pulled him close and kissed him deeply. 

Stretch pulled back with a wide grin on his face. “what was that for, lover?”

“For putting up with me.”

“pfft, you’re the one who puts up with me. i just live here.” He gave another kiss before finally getting up. “just remember i’m not the only who can feel like shit sometimes. i’m always, always here if you need to get some shit off your chest.”

Edge got up with him to go browse through the movies. “Thank you, Stretch,” he muttered as he wrapped his arms around his love from behind. “That means more to me than you can know.”

Stretch turned his head and kissed him. “love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“how ‘bout this one?” He held up a movie. 

Edge chuckled at the image on the case. It was some kind of preposterous hybrid between a shark and an octopus. “We didn’t talk about this one.”

“no, but i have it and it’s awful. you’ll love it. please?”

Edge couldn’t say not to that look. The movie was bound to be cheesy and awful, nothing that he would ever watch on his own, but just watching Stretch enjoy it would be a treat. 

“Alright,” he conceded. 

They got settled on the couch, Stretch tucked in close with Edge’s arms wrapped around him, to watch the movie. Every one of Stretch’s comments, giggles, and even just the look on his face was worth every second of the torturous movie. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think there's one more plot(ish) point I want to hit before this story ends, so we're getting close. Thank you guys so much for your support so far.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You ever have those times when you're writing and you realize that either you don't know these characters at all, or you know them too well, because what you're putting on that page is NOT accurate to how they'd react in that situation?
> 
> Yeah. That happened here, and this chapter took on a life of its own. Overall, though, I'm happy with it.
> 
> Special warning for some mental illness and abuse recovery with a special appearance by PTSD. Love isn't always fluff and good times. Sometimes it's disagreements and headbutting, but it's how you deal with those times as a couple that help define a relationship.
> 
> With that in mind, please enjoy!

Stretch was getting better at being in his apartment alone and not constantly worrying about what might happen. 

It was a good thing, too, because after two weeks of near sleepless nights, he was just plain tired of living in fear. It had ruled his life for too damn long, and he was done with it. 

He had talked to Blue about it after the first night he’d stayed over. Blue had suggestions, as he almost always did when Stretch talked about things that were bothering him. For the most part, however, they were things Stretch didn’t want to do for one reason or another. One of which was talking to Edge.

Edge already knew he was struggling being by himself, but he didn’t want Edge to know just how much he was struggling. He didn’t want Edge to know about the nightmares or panic attacks. 

Not because he didn’t think Edge would help him. He knew without a single doubt that Edge would be right there with him, soothing him and making things better. But that was the problem; Edge didn’t have time to coddle him. And, truthfully, he was an adult and should be able to handle these things on his own. He shouldn’t need Edge or anyone else to hold his hand just because something bad happened to him. 

Almost. Something bad  _ almost  _ happened to him. 

He worked on it as best as he knew how, which was essentially a combination of avoidance and being generally annoyed with himself. Throw in the occasional pep-talk laced with underlying themes of getting his shit together, and he was basically a bona fide self therapist. 

At least, it seemed to be working. He was now to the point where the only time it was actually hard to be by himself was at night. A part of him wondered if that was more out of loneliness than fear, though, as he always fell asleep wishing he could be in Edge’s arms. 

He’d had a few more job interviews in the last week, one which seemed rather promising. It was an I.T. position at a bank, just basic technical support for their systems. Not too demanding and certainly a steady income. He had hope that getting back to work would cure some of his loneliness.

* * *

Weeks passed. Stretch heard back from the bank and was hired on. Blue was so excited for him he came over to make dinner and invited both Edge and Red to eat with them.

Stretch felt oddly embarrassed. It was just a job, not a reason to celebrate. Still, it was always nice to see Edge. Even Red was looking better; he wasn’t as snappy as usual. 

His first day at work was a little difficult, but he made it through by thinking of his bed and how he’d be able to nap when he got home. The first day turned into the first week, and so on. He fell into a groove, feeling rather proud of himself for it.

Every Saturday was still set aside for dates with Edge. Sometimes they went out, sometimes they stayed in. Either way, they always had a great time together and it always ended in amazing sex. 

Two and a half months had passed, and Stretch was getting impatient with himself. Even though he no longer had nightmares every night, they still happened every so often. 

He’d wake up in a sweat, a scream caught in his throat, because someone was breaking into his home. In his dream, that someone was always an amalgamation of Chad and Slate in the form of a nameless, faceless form that slithered through the shadows and wanted to steal him away from the happiness he’d found.

It was after the third such nightmare in one week that Stretch thought he might finally cave. He was getting better, true, but not fast enough. There was no more danger, he should be able to at least sleep at night.

He picked up his phone and swallowed. Two o’clock in the morning on a Wednesday. Edge would undoubtedly still be asleep. He needed his rest. He had an important job, far more important than anything Stretch did. 

Putting his phone back on the table, he sat up. The covers fell down to his hips, leaving his ribs cold in the chilly night air. He didn’t mind; it actually felt good. He squirmed to sit against the wall, hissing as his spine touched the cool surface. It was colder than he’d anticipated.

“i’m fine,” he told himself. “just fine. it was just a stupid dream.” 

As true as it may be, they weren’t going away on their own. 

He sighed and shook his head, pressing his palms to his closed sockets. He couldn’t burden Edge with this. He just needed to go back to sleep. 

Instead, he got up to get a drink. He hesitated once his feet touched the carpet, eyes fixed on his bedroom door. His soul clenched tightly with fear of what he might see on the other side. 

He sucked in a deep breath and rolled his eyes at himself. He slipped on a pair of pants and grabbed his phone, telling himself he was safe because he could teleport, and he had a way to call for help if he needed it. 

Which he wouldn’t. 

Because he was  _ safe _ .

He opened the door slowly and peeked out. The apartment was dark, but there was no sign of anything being out place. No strange sounds, no eye lights glowing in the darkness. He sighed and walked out to the kitchen. 

Flipping on the light, he squinted in the brightness as he got a cup down and filled it with some juice. 

After downing his drink and adding the cup to the growing stack of them on the counter, he turned off the light and made his way back to his room. 

He took a moment to plug his phone back in, slipped off his pants, and got back into bed. 

* * *

Another two weeks passed. It seemed whatever progress Stretch thought he might be making was starting to stagnate; he still had nightmares at least twice a week and a panic attack at least once.

Blue had suggested therapy, and Stretch was starting to consider it a valid option at this point. He wouldn’t have to burden Edge, but maybe he could still get some help. 

He shouldn’t need the help. 

It was an internal battle he was fighting throughout his date with Edge one Saturday. 

The weather had turned chilly, leaves had changed color and fallen into crisp blankets on the ground, and autumn was slowly beginning to give way to winter. The couple had gone to pick apples in a local orchard. It was a bit late in the season for it, but there were still plenty of ripe apples for the taking. Edge had shown him how to choose the best ones for pies. It had been windy, a storm blowing in, but it only helped to spread the smell of fresh fruit and of the cider being made in the storefront nearby.

Afterward, they went back to Stretch’s place to bake. Edge had also shown him how to make fresh apple cider.

Stretch tried to pay attention. He really did. He managed to keep up appearances until the windy storm outside started to make the trees sound like someone clawing at his windows. 

He’d heard that noise in his nightmares. In his dreams, it was always accompanied by long, clawed fingertips scraping at the window panes, searching for a way inside.

He hadn’t realized he’d frozen until Edge stepped in front of him, hands placed carefully on his shoulders.

“Stretch?”

Stretch’s eye lights snapped to Edge’s. His were full of concern. Only then did he notice how fast he was breathing, how hard his soul was pounding.

“Love? Are you okay?”

Oh, he was so very not okay. It was just the fucking wind, but his stupid, stupid brain immediately assumed his nightmares were coming to life. Even now that he knew it was a silly overreaction, he was still terrified of something somehow taking Edge away from him. 

“i love you so much,” he finally managed to whisper. 

Edge nodded. “I love you, too. Please tell me what’s wrong?”

Stretch swallowed thickly. He knew Edge would be upset that he’d kept it to himself for so long. He’d be furious. He might think Stretch didn’t trust him. It was all the more reason to keep it bottled up and make up something different. 

The damn wind picked up again, bushes and trees outside once again scraping against windows. He knew, without any doubt, that tonight was going to be bad. Edge would leave, and he’d fall asleep only to dream of faceless demons who wanted to steal his happiness. They’d capture him, take him away, and he’d never see Edge or his brother again. He wouldn’t be able to teleport away because they’d have things to prevent it. Edge had once confirmed that such things existed. 

“Stretch, please, you’re starting to scare me.”

His voice snapped Stretch back to reality. “i’m sorry,” he stuttered. He wanted to curl up into himself, but he also wanted to hold onto Edge and never let go. Why was he like this? 

“i’m sorry, edge,” he said again. “it’s...i don’t...i’m not sure how to tell you what’s wrong.”

Edge nodded. “That’s okay. Is it anything I’ve said or done?”

Stretch shook his head. “no, not you at all. it’s something else.” 

Edge pulled him into a hard hug and kissed the side of his skull. “Can you tell me?”

He clung to him desperately, a part of him silently begging Edge to never let go. Don’t leave tonight. Just stay. 

It wouldn’t be fair to ask. Edge had things to do. Saturday was his day, and he needed to be okay with that. He was a big boy; he could handle it.

He squeezed his sockets shut and pressed his face to Edge’s shoulder. This was ridiculous. It was just a fucking storm, and here he was getting scared like a fucking toddler. He wondered, not for the first time, what the hell Edge saw in him. 

“Do you want to go sit down?” Edge asked, voice full of patience and love. 

Stretch nodded. He didn’t want to let go when Edge pulled back, but he forced himself to do it anyway. He followed Edge to the couch and waited for him to sit down before just curling up in his lap instead of bothering with sitting beside him. 

Edge didn’t seem to mind. He leaned back and held Stretch gently, rubbing his back and nuzzling his nasal ridge against Stretch’s jaw.

“Talk to me, love.”

Stretch took a moment to breathe before he finally opened his mouth.

“i’m scared,” he admitted. It came out in a whimper.

“Scared of what?”

He hadn’t been able to think of anything to say, and he was running out of time. Unless he wanted to tell Edge he didn’t want to talk about it, which was an option. He knew Edge wouldn’t push. But...he didn’t want to do that.

He swallowed and leaned in, resting his forehead against Edge’s shoulder as he spoke.

“i’ve been having these...um...these nightmares. recently. bad ones. the sound of the trees outside in the wind when they scrape at the windows kinda reminded me of them, i guess.”

Edge nodded against his head. “How long have they been happening?”

“since...since slate.” He closed his eyes, anticipating Edge’s anger.

“Every night?” He still sounded every bit as patient as before, not even a hint of frustration.

“at first, yeah. i’m scared to be alone at night. i feel like something’s gonna break in and take me away. it’s so stupid, i know, but--”

“Shhh, love, it’s not stupid at all. Is there a reason you didn’t tell me?” Not angry, but definitely sad.

“i don’t know.” It was a lie, but he didn’t know how to tell the truth. “it’s not every night anymore. just...a few times a week. once or twice. the panic attacks are happening less, too.”

Edge’s hands froze on Stretch’s back. “Panic attacks?”

Shit. “y-yeah.”

“Are they also because you’re scared? Because of Slate?”

“and chad. i know it’s dumb, edge; i know both of ‘em are gone and can’t hurt me anymore, but sometimes when i’m here alone at night and i have to get up for something, i can’t open my bedroom door. i’m too scared of what i’ll see on the other side. i’m too scared that whatever demon my stupid brain cooked up is gonna come to life and take me away where i won’t ever see you or my brother again.”

“Stretch, will you please stop that? It’s not dumb, and you’re not stupid, so stop saying that.” He sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. “Were you planning on ever telling me any of this, or were you going to keep it a secret forever?”

And there was the anger. It was only barely noticeable, but it was there. 

“i’m sorry, edge.”

“Stop apologizing and answer my question.”

Stretch didn’t even try to keep from shrinking in on himself, trying to take up less space and be less of a burden on his baby. Edge didn’t deserve this. He deserved someone who could hold themselves together and not have stupid fucking panic attacks over the stupidest shit.

“it was getting better,” he whimpered. All of this was only going to make Edge want to cut their date short, leave earlier than he normally did, and that would only mean he’d be alone with his demons that much sooner.  The thought of it made him cling to Edge harder. 

“Stretch, all of that happened three months ago. You’re telling me that you’ve been suffering with these nightmares and panic attacks for three months, and you never bothered to say anything about it? Did you think I wouldn’t believe you? Or that I would think you weak because of them? Do you not trust me?”

Stars, he sounded so hurt. He had known Edge would jump to that conclusion. 

“of course i trust you, edge.”

“You’ll forgive me if I’m having a hard time believing that. I thought you knew you could come to me with anything. I would never judge you for it, Stretch. I know a thing or two about post-traumatic stress, and maybe I could have helped you through it.”

The timer in the kitchen went off, a shrill alarm indicating the pies in the oven were ready.

Edge all but pushed Stretch off to the side and got up, not bothering to wait for him before he went to get the pies out. 

Stretch didn’t follow. Instead, he curled up into himself, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. Couples fought all the time. They were going to be okay. He just had to find a way to ask Edge to forgive him. 

He listened to the sounds of Edge in the kitchen; the oven door squealed just a little as it opened, the scrape of the rack as it was pulled out enough to let Edge get a hold of the pies, the soft thud of the pies being set on the stovetop, the scrape of the rack as it was pushed back in, then the squeal and bang of the oven door shutting.

The smell was amazing. In a few hours, after the pies had cooled a bit, they could be eaten with a scoop of ice cream and light shake of cinnamon. 

Stretch waited for Edge to come back, listened to him moving around, opening and shutting drawers. Eventually, those sounds stopped, but Edge still didn’t come back around the corner. 

He still waited. Edge would come back when he was ready to finish their conversation. Or was it their argument?  Whatever it was, it had upset Edge, and Stretch wasn’t going to force him back into it.

Fifteen minutes later, Edge was still in the kitchen. Stretch’s soul began to slowly sink as he realized that he wasn’t going to come back. He didn’t want to finish talking about things. He probably just wanted to take his pies and go home.

But Edge always wanted to talk about shit. He was always saying that communication was one of the most important parts of a relationship and how they both needed to trust each other and be open and honest and shit. 

Stars, he’d fucked up, hadn’t he? In trying to keep from burdening Edge with shit he should be able to take care of on his own, he’d only succeeded in making Edge think he didn’t trust him.

Stretch forced himself to stand up and go find his baby. He still didn’t feel very confident about anything, but he did know that he loved Edge and wanted to try to make things okay. 

In the kitchen, Edge was standing with his back to the counter, leaning against it with his arms crossed and his head hung low. His hands were curled into fists, his bones taut, and what Stretch could see of his face was turned in a frown.

“edge?”

He looked up, his expression softening into one of near disinterest. 

“What?”

“i’m sorry.”

“You keep saying that, and at this point I’m honestly not sure if I should believe you.”

He felt himself wince. He probably deserved that. He swallowed and fought the urge to apologize again. It would only make things worse.

“I thought I had made it pretty clear that I wanted to be here for you when you needed me. What did I do to make you think you had to hide this?”

“it wasn’t you, edge.”

“‘It’s not you, it’s me’. That’s a load of shit and you know it. Is it because I’m fell-verse? Because I can’t possibly know what you’re going through?”

“what? no! babe, it’s not--”

“Then what the fuck is it? What made you hide that for three months?”

“why is it such a big deal to you?” Stretch yelled, getting frustrated despite his fear of Edge leaving. “it’s just nightmares, edge! yeah, it’s scary and i get scared because i’m a fucking pansy, but why are you so upset? i didn’t tell you because i need to be able to handle shit on my own. i can’t always come running to you.”

Edge looked at him, his eye lights full of sorrow. “Why not?”

“because i’m an adult! i’m not a kid anymore.”

“Did you think I would tell you to grow up? I wouldn’t have, Stretch, I--”

He couldn’t handle the pain in Edge’s voice, in his face. He stepped up to him and hugged him hard. 

“i knew you would help me, edge. i knew that if i called you, you would have talked me through it, or you would have come to me if you thought i needed it. but that’s why i didn’t say anything, baby; i shouldn’t need someone to hold my hand just because i had a scary dream.”

Edge held him back, squeezing almost too tightly. “Who told you that?”

“i told me that.”

“You’re wrong. Are you even aware that what you’re experiencing is post-traumatic stress?”

“it’s just nightmares,” Stretch countered. “not stress.”

“No, they’re not just nightmares.” Edge pulled back enough to kiss his cheek and look him in the eyes. “It’s panic attacks, too, all centered around a group of events that traumatised you. They’ve lasted for three months so far, love. The only thing you’re doing by forcing yourself to go through it alone is making it worse. I love you, and I want to help you. Please let me.”

Stretch sighed and leaned into him, shaking his head against Edge’s shoulder. “i don’t want to wake you up at two in the morning or bother you while you’re working. you’re busy, edge, and i--”

“Let me ask you something, Stretch,” he interrupted. “If it was me waking up with nightmares and having panic attacks, would you happily lose sleep if it meant helping me to feel safe again?”

Well, that was a ridiculous question for more than one reason. “first of all, of course i would. i’d give up all my sleep for you and you know it. second, that wouldn’t happen because you’re stronger than that. you don’t need me.”

Edge tensed against him for only a second before he pushed Stretch back, holding him at half an arm’s length with his hands firm on his shoulders. “So you’re saying it would make me a weak monster if I were to have nightmares or panic attacks?” His voice was hard, not exactly angry, but disbelieving and hurt. 

Fuck. Fuckity fuck, he just kept digging himself in deeper and eventually Edge was just going to throw his hands up and leave. 

“that’s not what i meant.”

“Okay, but that’s exactly what you said. And let me tell you something, Stretch, you’re wrong. I do need you. I need you because I love you, dammit. 

“I don’t understand how you can think that just because I’m strong means I’m somehow immune to emotional pain or fear. You remember what happened with that mother a while ago? That hurt. So it didn’t give me nightmares, but it did make going out to do my weekly shopping a bit difficult for a few weeks afterward. Does that make me weak?”

Stretch could only shake his head and try not to shrink in on himself.

“And what about my fear of getting back in the field? I’ve already passed all of my tests, but I’m scared that my damn socket will cause problems for me once I’m chasing down suspects again. I’m worried about my aim, about possibly missing my target. That fear makes me worried that I’ll be stuck on desk duty for the rest of my career because I can’t force myself to get back out in the field. Does  _ that  _ make me weak?”

“you’ve made your point, edge,” Stretch said miserably. He felt awful about everything, like he just wanted to go back to bed and wake up to a new day where he could start over.

“Have I? You are  _ not  _ weak because you’re afraid of things. Everyone is afraid of different things, Stretch, and not everyone has to have a ‘good reason’ to be scared. Post-traumatic stress is not some silly thing that makes people a little scared sometimes. It’s real and it can be debilitating. It really is okay if you don’t want my help. If you want to try to deal with this on your own, then that’s fine, but you need to know what you’re up against and how to help yourself. You can’t just wait it out.”

Stretch nodded and tried to get closer, to hold Edge again, but he didn’t allow it. 

“i was gonna start looking into therapy,” he said lamely.

“That’s a good start. If you would like, I have a list of therapists who specialize in trauma and abuse.”

“okay.”

“Please look at me,” Edge pleaded. 

He did, looking up to see Edge’s eye lights full of love and patience again. 

“I love you, and I only want what’s best for you. I can’t stand this idea of yours that you’re not worth a little lost sleep. Yes, I’m busy, and yes, my job is important to both myself and the community, but don’t you ever think for even a second that I wouldn’t take some time off if you needed me.” 

He leaned in and kissed Stretch lightly. Stretch’s hands clutched at his shirt and willed the kiss to last longer. Edge pulled back too soon.

“I’m sorry that I got as upset as I did. I suppose I’m not used to those I love and trust hiding important things from me.”

Stretch swallowed. He wanted to apologize, but he didn’t want to hear Edge doubt his sincerity again. Intead, he just nodded and sucked up his own misery. It would be okay. 

Edge sighed. “I love you.”

“i love you, too,” he whispered back. 

He finally pulled Stretch in to hug him tightly. Stretch held on desperately, dreading the moment Edge would pull back again. 

“Are you okay?” he asked softly. 

Stretch shook his head. He felt terrible doing it. It had just been an argument; it was no reason to feel like their relationship was falling apart. And yet, all he could think about was Edge leaving him alone in his apartment, never to come back. In trying to hide his nightmares, he’d only succeeded in making them that much more a reality. 

“Come sit down with me,” he said gently. 

They went back to the couch, and this time Stretch sat beside Edge. He would not make Edge push him away if he wanted to leave. He couldn’t. 

Edge held his hand between his and gently stroked his phalanges. “I don’t like to assume things, but I have to guess that you’re probably feeling very insecure right now, perhaps wondering how strong our relationship really is. Am I right?”

His voice was nothing but patience and understanding, but Stretch still felt like he was betraying him when he nodded. 

“I want you to know that I don’t hold that against you. I’m not mad at you for it. I understand why you’re feeling that way. Many abusers will threaten to leave their partners if they don’t shape up, using fights and arguments as a way to train those they abuse. Is that what happened with you?”

Once again, Stretch could only nod. He didn’t dare say anything for fear it would be the wrong thing. 

“Did you know that it’s normal for happy, healthy couples to fight and argue from time to time?”

Another nod.

“Good. That’s half the battle right there.” He lifted Stretch’s hand and kissed the back of it. “We’re going to be okay. I’m not going anywhere, and I still love you every bit as much as I did before.”

Stretch squeezed his hand back. He still couldn’t force himself to open his damn mouth. 

“Would it be okay if I stay with you tonight? Please don’t feel obligated; I’m not trying to force you to accept my help. I just--”

Stretch couldn’t let him finish whatever he was going to say. He needed Edge to stay with him, and his offer to do just that eased a little of the turmoil bubbling in his soul. He leaned in and kissed him hard. Edge deepened it, slipping an arm around him to pull him in closer.

“i really need you to stay,” he managed to say when he pulled back. “please.”

Edge nodded and gave him one more kiss. “Then I’ll stay.”

Stretch inched just a little closer. “can we cuddle for a while?”

“Of course we can. Come here.” Edge leaned back on the couch and pulled Stretch into him, holding him gently. 

Stretch lay against him, holding tighter than he probably should, with his head on Edge’s chest. He listened to the soft pulse of his soul, felt the warmth of his body, and closed his eyes to appreciate all of it. 

Soon enough, they’d get up and probably have a slice of pie, maybe play a game or two, and at the end of the evening, they’d go to bed together. Stretch wasn’t sure if Edge would still feel like making love tonight, but he would be okay with anything just as long as he could hold his baby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few quick(ish) notes here: 
> 
> First and foremost, when Edge says, "I suppose I’m not used to those I love and trust hiding important things from me." he's thinking to himself that Red is excluded from that statement. Red is a special breed and thus does not need to conform to Edge's expectations of normal communication.
> 
> Second, Stretch made bad choices, yes, but he made them for a reason. He knows that he was manipulated by Chad to rely on him far too much, and he doesn't want to fall into the habit of relying on anyone else. He knows Edge wouldn't manipulate him, he knows Edge would do whatever he could to help him, but that doesn't ease Stretch's need to be self-sufficient. Is his way of going about it flawed? Damn right it is, but he's trying his best with what he knows, and sadly what he knows isn't healthy. He and Edge are going to have to maneuver this minefield of what Stretch can be self-reliant with and what he needs to seek help for together. 
> 
> And, lastly, this is something that Edge has limited experience with; at this point in the recovery of anyone he has helped in the past, they've moved on to therapists and other methods and he has little to no communication with them after that. He can still draw on his knowledge of how abuse affects a person, different coping mechanisms, and how to help trauma survivors, let alone his own experience with trauma, but that doesn't mean he's going to know exactly what to do in the moment, especially if something Stretch does hurts his feelings. He needs to be able to express himself; keeping his own feelings hidden just to avoid triggering Stretch is not even a little bit healthy in the long run.
> 
> Anyhow. That's that. Hopefully we can get back to some more fluffy times in the next chapter!


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters really like taking me by surprise. I had this entire chapter planned out to be like, a fourth of what it actually turned out to be. I really hope nobody minds the gratuitous amounts of sex you're about to read. Consider that your only warning.
> 
> Enjoy!

Edge didn’t allow himself to second guess his actions. He’d reacted the way he’d reacted, and that was that. He knew that if he let himself think on it too hard, he’d only beat himself up for not taking the time to understand Stretch’s motives a little better. 

He’d also probably just make himself upset again, because regardless of Stretch’s reasons for hiding things as he’d done, Edge couldn’t help but feel as though he wasn’t trusted. Not to mention how Stretch could possibly think that he was weak for being scared of something. Did it mean that Stretch might consider  _ him  _ weak if he showed the true extent of his worries?

He took a deep breath and squeezed Stretch beside him gently. He needed to let it go. It wasn’t worth it. 

It wasn’t worth seeing that look on his love’s face again, that utterly broken, desperate look. He would do anything to erase it and see Stretch smile again.

Edge leaned in and kissed Stretch’s head. “Do you think you’re ready for some pie?”

Stretch tightened his arms around his ribs in a hug and nodded. “yeah.”

He still sounded guarded, and it hurt like a bitch to hear it. Still, he pushed it aside and rubbed Stretch’s back gently. 

“Do you want it a la mode?”

“you or the pie?” The humor in his voice was obvious, and it made Edge smile to hear it. 

“Take your pick.”

“hmm. maybe let’s stick with the pie for now. wouldn’t want to risk freezing you out for a little fun.” His arms tightened again briefly before he sat up. 

Edge leaned in and kissed him. “It might be worth it.” He gave his love a wink before standing up. He held out a hand, and Stretch took it. 

Together, they went to the kitchen and got their treat ready. The pies were still freshly warm, not too hot, and went perfectly with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Stretch had the brilliant idea of sprinkling on a little extra cinnamon, and it was perfect. 

After they’d eaten, Stretch insisted that he help wash up. Edge was happy to let him, and soon everything was cleaned up for the night. 

“What should we do now?” Edge asked as he leaned against the counter, blue dish towel still in hand. 

Stretch shrugged. He leaned against the opposite counter and began wringing his hands together. Edge didn’t like that; it meant he was nervous about something, and at this point it could be anything. 

Edge set the towel down on the counter and pushed away, taking the few steps to stand by his love. He cupped his jaw and leaned in for a kiss. 

“You know I love you.” He didn’t allow it to be a question.

Stretch nodded anyway. “yeah, i know. and i love you, too.”

“I know you do, Stretch. Is there anything you would like to do?”

He swallowed and cast his eye lights down, avoiding eye contact. “um...maybe?”

“Okay? What is it?”

“you don’t have to.”

“I’m aware, but I can’t tell you if I want to unless I know what you’re asking for.”

Stretch nodded again and took a deep breath. He looked up then, meeting Edge’s eye lights, and the look in his sent a shock of need straight to his groin. 

Make up sex following fights had always been some of the best sex Edge had ever had before he met Stretch. There was something about reconnecting after a butting of heads that was somehow more intense than anything else. 

He didn’t want to assume anything, so he waited to hear Stretch voice his desires. His thumb gently rubbed under his right socket, smoothing over his cheekbone as he watched those gorgeous, soft orange eye lights roam his own face. 

“i kinda want...i thought maybe we could...do you still wanna have sex tonight?” He swallowed and looked down, his fingers playing with Edge’s shirt.

Edge leaned in to steal another kiss. “Of course I do, love. We had an argument, but nothing about what happened changes how I feel about you or how much I want you.”

In the past weeks, Stretch had gotten bolder with his seduction, learning what he liked to do, and Edge could say with all honesty that he truly loved seeing him figure himself out. He’d tried things that he found he wasn’t comfortable with, but he’d also tried things that worked incredibly well for the both of them. He’d grown more confident in himself, and it was a treat to see it.

It seemed his progress had been shot down, his confidence in himself gone as he slowly, awkwardly raised his hands to Edge’s shoulders. He leaned in and kissed Edge’s jaw, but didn’t move to do anything else. After a few seconds, Edge felt him start to shake.

“Do you want me to take over?” he asked softly. He really wanted Stretch to take the lead, to remind himself that everything was okay and that things could go back to normal after a fight. However, it seemed that may not be possible for Stretch right away, and he would make that okay. 

Stretch nodded. “i’m sorr--” He stopped abruptly, closing his mouth with an audible click and leaned in to press his face against Edge’s shoulder. He only shook harder, and Edge’s soul hurt when he felt the wetness of Stretch’s tears seep through his shirt.

Edge held him gently but didn’t push for anything. A part of him wanted to lead Stretch back to his bedroom and strip him, make love to him and show him how strong their love still was, but he couldn’t. Not yet. Stretch needed some more reassurance first. 

“Love?”

Stretch sucked in a shuddering breath and shook his head. “i’m so sorry. i am. i know you don’t believe me, and i can’t tell you how...i’m just sorry.”

Oh. 

Edge hugged him hard, his soul pulsing with the need to fix what he’d done. He should have known better than say what he’d said. He shook his head to himself; he couldn’t do that to himself. All he could do now was focus on the aftermath and fixing the damage that had been done.

“It’s okay, Stretch. I do believe that you’re sorry, and I forgive you.” He didn’t bother saying there was nothing to forgive. That wasn’t the point. Stretch needed to know he could apologize when there was something to apologize for, and that Edge would believe him.  “I was angry and hurt when I said that, and for that I am sorry, too. However, that’s over and I do believe you.” 

Stretch looked up then, meeting Edge’s eye lights with his own. “you do?”

“Yes, I do.”

He nodded and pulled back to wipe his face. “dammit, i’m a mess.” He sniffled and wiped his damp hands on his shirt. “how sexy am i?” he huffed. It was obviously a rhetorical question, but Edge decided he should answer it anyway.

“Very,” Edge replied.

Stretch snorted. “yeah, because me being a crying, snotty mess is sexy.”

“No, you being you is sexy.” He leaned in and kissed him. “Do you still want to make love?”

He nodded. “yeah, but i think i wanna clean up a bit first.”

“Okay. Meet me in your room when you’re ready?”

“sounds perfect.”

After another kiss and a tight hug, Edge let Stretch go. He wiped his face again as he left the kitchen, disappearing around the corner toward the bathroom. 

Edge’s magic was already anticipating and eager, formed and ready to go. He felt a little giddy as he made his way to Stretch’s room. He took a moment to make the bed and pick up the dirty clothes that Stretch had strewn around. It wasn’t much, but Edge had nothing to do but wait, and he wasn’t good at waiting idly. 

It only took a few minutes to clean up. Edge sat on the side of the bed and thought about what he might do until Stretch came in. He smiled deviously to himself and began to undress. If Stretch was having a hard time with seduction, he’d cut that step out completely.

He laid down naked on top of the covers and lightly touched himself, stroking his length as he thought about Stretch riding him. He closed his eyes, imagining his love on top and writhing, using Edge’s body for his own pleasure. Soon enough, it would be a reality, and the anticipation was enough to make his hand feel better than normal. He stroked a little faster. 

“getting started without me?” Stretch’s voice asked from the doorway.

Edge opened his eyes and looked over. Stretch was naked as well, his bones so clean and nearly shimmering in the low light. He didn’t stop stroking himself, only held himself a little tighter, and grunted at the rush of pleasure that flooded his body.

“I couldn’t help myself,” he managed, his voice a low growl. “Just thinking about you does this to me.”

Stretch swallowed, his eye lights darting to Edge’s hand.  Edge watched with delirious satisfaction as his reaction became evident, Stretch's own honey-colored magic swirling in his pelvis becoming brighter, hotter. 

“I want you all the time,” Edge grunted. “All the time. I do this every night when I’m home alone. Did you know that?”

A surge of brightness in Stretch’s magic told Edge how much his words affected him. 

Stretch shook his head and lifted a hand to the door frame for balance. “no, i didn’t know that.”

“I touch myself just like this, thinking about you. Your voice, your snarky comments, your body...every part of you gets me hot.” He hissed and lifted his hips into his hand. “Do you want me to stop?” 

His eye lights darted up to Edge’s face. “what? no. why would i want that?”

“Are you enjoying the show?” He stroked harder, faster; the idea of cumming while Stretch watched was much hotter than he’d thought it would be.

“fuck yeah.”

Edge growled, just the knowledge that Stretch liked what he saw was a shot of intense pleasure. 

“Fuck! Oh, Stretch...Do you do this? Do you touch yourself when you think of me?”

Stretch nodded, a hand sliding down to his pelvis as his magic took the shape of an already-dripping cunt.

“Don’t. Don’t touch yourself yet. Just watch me and let it build. I wanna... _ Fuck!  _ I wanna taste you.” 

He heard Stretch whimper, thought of him making that same sound while sitting on his face, and it was almost too much. His back arched, a moan escaping him as he looked over and met Stretch’s eye lights. He rubbed faster, focusing on the head of his cock, and let the pressure build until it finally overtook him. 

Keeping eye contact, he groaned as his orgasm shook him, cum landing in spurts on his ribcage. 

Stretch was visibly panting, his hand on the door frame clutching and his other twitching to touch himself. 

Breathless, Edge reached out his hand, uncaring of the magic that dripped onto the blanket. Stretch nearly tripped over himself as he stepped forward, reaching out to take Edge’s hand. 

Edge grinned and pulled him closer. “Come up here. Your seat’s ready.” He licked his teeth, so very ready to plunge his tongue deep into Stretch’s cunt and hear him moan. 

Stretch only hesitated for a moment, obviously unsure of how to climb up. Edge helped him figure it out, and soon he had his love right where he wanted him. 

His cunt was warm and wet, already pulsing with need as Edge licked him, lapping up his juices like a monster starved. He held Stretch’s hips still, only allowing slight movement so he didn’t accidentally get hurt on Edge’s teeth. Stretch cried out, a half moan that caught in his throat, as his body writhed in need and his hands clutched desperately at Edge’s skull. 

He came quickly, his bones shuddering against Edge’s face and skull. Edge didn’t stop, continued to lick and suck him through a second orgasm. 

“edge...oh holy fuck! baby, i can’t...i need…” His body shuddered, and Edge only let up when he started to pull away. 

Stretch moved to his side, shimmying down to lay next to him. His breath was coming in overstimulated pants, his joints glowing deliciously. He was the definition of seduction. 

“I love you,” Edge said softly. He wrapped his arms around Stretch and pulled him in close. 

“you, too,” Stretch mumbled, relaxing against Edge’s chest. 

“I’ll give you a moment, but we’re most definitely not done yet.”

Stretch huffed a giggle. “gotta keep goin’ ‘til the cows come home?”

“The cows took an extended vacation. They’ll be gone  _ all night long _ .” Edge leaned in and kissed Stretch’s skull. 

“that sounds both wonderful and threatening at the same time.”

Edge frowned. “Threatening?” He pushed Stretch back just enough to look at him. “Why threatening? You know I’d never hurt or force you, love.”

Stretch smiled lazily and leaned in to kiss him. “of course i know that, babe. i didn’t mean it like you actually scared me, i just meant like...i’m already tired and a little worn out, y’know? but, i sure as fuck don’t wanna stop.”

He nodded, his sudden discomfort eased by Stretch’s words. 

“Are you cold?” he asked, gently rubbing Stretch’s back.

Stretch shook his head. “I’m perfect.”

_ Yes you are _ , Edge thought. 

Several moments of silence passed, each one filled with tender touches as Edge thought about the many things he’d like to do to coax more pleasure from his lover. 

“hey, edge?” Stretch asked, his voice soft and small. 

Edge hummed. 

“um...have you ever thought about...i mean, our magic is fluid, right? and we can manifest it in different ways. and i was curious to know if you’ve ever had sex the other way?”

“There are so many ways to have sex, Stretch. I’m assuming that you mean to ask if I’ve been the one who was penetrated?”

Stretch pushed himself up onto his elbow to look down at Edge, his brow furrowed in confusion. “well...yeah. i mean, we’ve had sex one way--”

“Multiple ways, love. Oral is a form of sex. And what we just did, you watching me masturbate, is a form of voyeuristic sex.”

The furrow in his brow deepened, but he didn’t comment further on it. 

Edge sighed; he’d gotten this off the topic Stretch wanted to discuss. “I’m sorry, love. I didn’t mean to change the topic. Yes, I have had sex the other way, the way you’re referring to.”

Stretch nodded. “did you like it?”

“Yes, I did. Is that something you’d like to try?” This was a good sign, Edge thought. His love expressing an interest in experimenting was thrilling.

He shifted nervously and nodded. “maybe? i’ve heard it’s more...intense...when you have a cock. is that true?”

Oh, holy hell. Wait a minute. Back the hell up. 

“Have you never done that?”

Stretch shook his head. “no. i mean, i’ve touched myself like that, but not in a long time. not since i was a teenager, pretty much. chad never wanted to...he said it was gross because he couldn’t change his magic and i’d have to...he just didn’t want to.”

“Okay. First, I want you to know that there is nothing gross about it. He’s a fucked up monster with obvious issues, and I’m bound and determined to prove to you that everything he told you was a lie. Second, it’s not so much more intense as it is more focused. Imagine when you cum, that body-wide surge of pleasure being compressed into one bright point. That’s not to say that you won’t feel it through your whole being, but it’s...different.”

Stretch shifted, this time it seemed more in anticipation than anything else. 

“If you would like to try it, I am all for it, but I will caution you to go slow, take your time and find out what feels best for you. You’ll likely cum before I do, and that’s okay. If you enjoy yourself and would like to, we’ll have plenty of opportunities to work up your stamina.” 

“i wanna try it.”

Edge nodded and pulled Stretch down for a kiss. He let his legs part, shifting to widen them as Stretch moved in between them, laying his weight down on Edge. 

Edge moaned and deepened the kiss when he felt Stretch’s cock against his pelvis. His own magic was still unformed, hot and swirling and ready to go when he let it. 

“is that okay?” Stretch asked, pulling back a little. His hips shifted, pressing his cock harder to Edge’s bones, and his sockets closed. “oh...that’s sensitive.”

“Would you like me to touch you?” Edge asked, letting his hands roam down his spine to his hips. 

Stretch nodded, and Edge shifted to roll them over. He hovered over him and gave him another kiss before beginning his trek downward. 

Stretch’s cock really was nice. Thick and long, it almost seemed as if Stretch had used Edge’s own cock as a reference. He smiled to himself, oddly proud of that thought, as he took Stretch in his hands. His hips bucked and he whined. 

Edge looked up at him. “I’ll be gentle, but please tell me if I hurt you or if it’s too much, okay?”

He nodded. “okay.” His voice was barely a squeak. 

It had been a while since Edge had given anyone head, but he figured whatever skills he’d retained would suffice. Stretch sure seemed to enjoy it, anyway. He took his time, moving slowly and touching lightly so as not to overstimulate. 

“fuck...oh, fuck, baby, that’s good.” His body jerked, and he moaned out something indecipherable. Edge took him in his mouth, sucking gently. “holy shit, that’s...that’s...fuck!”

As he pleasured his love, he reached down between his legs and began to work his pussy, alternating between fingering himself and rubbing his clit. He needed to make sure he was ready to go before he let Stretch penetrate him. 

Edge pulled back when Stretch’s bones started to shake, grinning to himself when Stretch whined and bucked his hips. 

“Trust me when I say that you’ll enjoy this much more,” Edge said softly, slipping up to kiss Stretch before pulling him on top.  “Remember to go slow, find what feels good.”

Stretch nodded, his body on autopilot as he followed his instincts.

Edge let him take over. His wetness allowed Stretch to slip in easily. He didn’t stop, shoving in with one thrust, and Edge winced at a sharp pain.    


“Love...it’s been a while, please go slower.”

Stretch froze, his hazed eye lights snapping to Edge’s as his sockets widened. “oh shit. edge, i’m sorry, i didn’t think...did i hurt you?”

“It was only a little pain. I’m okay. Keep going.” He settled his hands on Stretch’s hips and helped guide him. 

“are you sure?”

“I’m very sure.” He pulled Stretch in for a kiss. “I’m okay.”

Stretch kissed him back messily, groaning and whimpering as he slowly filled Edge’s cunt. 

Finally hilted, Stretch stilled for only a moment before he pulled back halfway then sunk back in. 

“holy shit, edge. this is...this is incredible.” His words slurred together, punctuated by the moan in his voice. 

Edge’s hands encouraged him to move a little faster. The sensation of Stretch fucking him was as amazing as he’d known it would be. He lifted his knees and pulled Stretch in closer, letting him get deeper. He let his head fall back on the pillows and his hips to move in time with Stretch’s thrusts. 

“Right there, baby,” he grunted. “Fuck, Stretch, right there.”

Stretch moved faster, his thrusts becoming harder and more desperate as he lost himself to the pleasure. His bones tightened, and soon he was panting out whimpers and grunts, grasping at Edge’s hips until he came. He shuddered hard, his breath held and his sockets squeezed shut, he thrust in deep and held it there as his release soaked Edge’s cunt. 

Edge couldn’t take his eyes off his love; he was absolutely gorgeous in his pleasure.

“shit.” Stretch’s voice was a breathless whisper. “holy fuck.” He pulled out slowly, his body jerking at the sensation, then all but collapsed on top of Edge. “sorry. give me a sec, and i’ll--”

“No apologizing for anything, love,” Edge crooned. “You did great. In a moment, when you’re ready, maybe you can touch me?” His body was craving his own release, but he wanted to give Stretch the opportunity to help him out. 

“touch you, eat you out, fuck you again; whatever you want.”

Edge held him gently. “I would love it if you’d eat me.” As much as he really wanted Stretch’s cock back inside him, he knew it would be a bit much for his love tonight. Instead, he wanted Stretch’s tongue inside him. 

Stretch nodded. “you got it. in a minute.” He was still panting, catching his breath and coming down from his orgasm. 

“Take your time.”

“let me tell ya, edge, you were right about sex with a cock. different, but goddamn that was good.”

Edge smiled and kissed his skull. “I’m glad you enjoyed it, and I look forward to exploring other types of sex you can have with a cock. Namely frottage.”

Stretch managed to lift his head enough to look at Edge. “what’s that?”

“Two cocks rubbing together.” He couldn’t help but snicker at Stretch’s expression. “It’s much better than it sounds.”

Stretch nodded. “i’ll take your word for it.” He rested his head back down on Edge’s chest. 

“Mmm, well, only until I prove to you that I’m right.”

“i think i’m ready. i gotta warn you, baby, i’ve never eaten anyone out before. i might not be any good at it.”

“I don’t believe that for a second. At any rate, practice makes perfect. Unless you’d rather do something different, that is.”

Stretch started easing his way down, kissing at his ribs as he went. “no, i wanna try it.” 

His tongue may not have been very skilled, but Edge’s body couldn’t have told the difference. All he cared about was keeping Stretch and his delectable mouth between his legs for as long as possible, drawing the pleasure out until he couldn't take it anymore. He came in a rush, his back arching as he moaned loudly. 

Stretch moved back up his body, taking his time to kiss and lick at each of his scarred bones. 

“hey, babe?” he asked softly, laying down beside him.

Edge hummed, still panting. He managed to open a socket to look over at Stretch. 

“i think the cows are gonna have to cut their vacation short. i’m exhausted.”

Edge nodded and pulled Stretch into his arms. “Give me a moment and we’ll go shower. No shenanigans.”

Stretch snorted. “speak for yourself.”

“Okay, all the shenanigans, because I know myself and I can’t keep my hands off of you. Unless you’d like shower separately.”

“and waste all that water? no fucking way!”

Edge chuckled. “Alright, then. I’m ready.”

They got up and walked to the bathroom together. Edge got the water ready and stepped under the spray first. Stretch got in after him and together they soaped each other up, cleaning away cum and sweat. By the time Edge’s hands made it to Stretch’s pelvis, his magic had already formed a cunt. He didn’t say anything, just met Stretch’s eye lights as he let his fingers lightly circle his clit. 

Stretch closed his eyes and leaned against the shower wall for support, his breaths coming in pants as Edge touched him.  His own magic formed at the sight of his lover’s pleasure, and Stretch didn’t hesitate to begin stroking him.

“Can I fuck you?” Edge asked, his voice low.

Stretch nodded. “yes, please!”

Edge pushed himself close and lifted one of Stretch’s legs over his arm to give him access to his cunt. He slipped in easily, familiar pleasure overtaking him as he thrust. Neither lasted long, and soon they came together in a chorus of moans that echoed beautifully off the shower walls. 

Edge helped steady Stretch as he put his leg down. They washed each other again, this time succeeding to stay on task. Once they were both clean, Edge cut the water off. They dried off and went back to the bedroom together.

Stretch was happy to get into bed naked, but Edge took a moment to slip on a pair of Stretch’s sweat pants. 

“hey, thief, those are mine,” Stretch objected. 

“Perhaps, but I didn’t bring anything and I’d rather not sleep in my jeans. Or naked.” He had to be ready for anything, and ending up in a less-than-ideal situation with no clothing on was not an option Edge wanted to consider.

“fine, but let me tell you that those never looked that good on me.”

Edge struck a pose, showing off his strong iliac crests, his grin only widening at Stretch’s expression. He then turned to the door. 

“I’m going to make sure everything’s locked up. I’ll be back.”

Stretch only nodded and got comfortable under the blankets. 

Edge checked the door and the windows out of habit, then turned off all the lights before heading back to the bedroom. 

Stretch’s eye lights were bright in the darkness, darting around as if searching for something.

“Is there a light you usually leave on?” Edge asked as he shut the bedroom door. 

It was almost amusing the way Stretch’s eye lights moved when he shook his head. 

“no.”

His voice wavered only a little, but it was enough for Edge to notice. He didn’t waste any time, getting into bed and pulled Stretch up to him. 

“I’m here, love. You’re safe.”

Stretch nodded and cuddled up to him. “i feel safe with you here. stars, i love you so much.” His arm around him tightened.

Edge hugged him back. “I love you, too. Please wake me up if you have any nightmares tonight, okay?”

“okay. goodnight, babe.”

“Goodnight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few chapters ago, I thought this story might end at 30 chapters. I don't see that happening unless the next few points I want to hit manage to condense themselves into a single chapter. I suppose it could happen, but I'm not gonna force it. I've been overall very happy with the word vomit lately, and I'm going to let it continue until it runs its course. 
> 
> Thank you guys for sticking with me!


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little warning for a depiction of a panic attack. 
> 
> A small part of me feels like I need to apologize for what you're about to read. Stretch's inner thoughts almost feel repetitive, but I also feel like it's natural. I know my own thoughts tend to circle around and get real damn old real damn fast when I'm in the midst of a panic attack. Things I was okay with just moment before are too much all of a sudden, and it's just chaos in the head for however long the attack lasts. 
> 
> So, yeah.

The room was eerily quiet when Stretch woke up. He thought he’d heard something, but he wasn’t sure if it was a real sound or something in whatever dream he’d been having. 

It hadn’t been a nightmare. The memory of it dissipated as quickly as a fine mist, and he was left struggling to remember what he thought he’d heard. 

The room was pitch dark, not a trace of sunlight coming through the window. He couldn't guess as to the time, but it was obviously not morning yet. Not his typical time for morning, anyway.

He reached over to Edge only to find the bed empty beside him. He sat up, for a brief moment deliriously disoriented. Hadn’t Edge stayed the night last night? Had he somehow missed a day and Edge had stayed some other night? 

He reached over to his phone and checked the time. Four-thirty in the morning on Sunday. Edge had definitely stayed over. His bones still held an echo of the pleasure they’d shared. He swallowed and checked his text messages; maybe Edge had to leave for some reason?

He had no new messages, no indication whatsoever that Edge had let him know what was going on. 

Deep in his soul, a twinge of panic told him that Edge had left without saying anything because he’d finally decided Stretch wasn’t worth the trouble. Great sex was only one part of a relationship, and it was the only part Stretch was even a little good at. 

He took a deep breath and pushed that aside. It wasn’t true; Edge had a reason for leaving, and it had nothing to do with him being tired of Stretch’s bullshit. He loved Stretch, plain and simple. 

Setting his phone back on the table, he lay back down and stared up at the darkened ceiling for a long moment. He could text Edge to ask if he was okay. He could call. 

He could lay there in silence and stew in his own anxiety until the answer appeared to him a fever dream. 

Calling or texting was out. He didn’t want to make Edge feel guilty for not letting him know what was going on. He also didn’t want to take Edge’s attention away from whatever emergency he’d left for. He just couldn’t do it. 

Instead, he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He’d go get a drink, clear his mind, and go back to bed. Edge would let him know what was going on when he was ready.

The moment he stood up, a wave of panic hit him hard enough to knock the breath out of him. He stared at the door, and suddenly the sound that had woken him up became crystal fucking clear. 

It had been a door. His front door. 

His logical brain told him it was only Edge leaving. He was safe. Edge wouldn’t leave without making sure he was safe. 

But Edge didn’t have a key; he couldn’t lock the door behind him. Just because he hadn’t heard any other sounds didn’t mean someone hadn’t come in since then. 

And what if it wasn’t Edge leaving? What if it was someone breaking in? What if Edge had gotten up because he’d heard someone breaking in like before, and now he was gone because they’d taken him? What if they’d killed him?

If Stretch walked out that door, would he find Edge’s dust?

A small sound escaped his throat, a panicked whimper, and he slapped a hand over his mouth to silence it. His soul pounded so hard it hurt, and he could feel his fingers and toes going numb. 

He managed to sit back down on the bed and picked up his phone. With trembling fingers, he found Edge’s contact and touched the call button. As it began ringing, Stretch listened carefully to see if he could hear it in the house. Nothing.

The line rang five times before it went to voicemail. He tried to leave a message, but all he could get out was another choked whimper before he hung up. 

He laid down and curled up, his phone clenched in his hands and his knees pulled to his chest as he stared out into the blackness of his room. 

Only a few moments passed before his phone rang. Edge’s name on the screen got Stretch to sit up quickly, and he swiped to answer.

“edge?” his voice was full of panicked hope.

“Stretch, are you okay?” He was breathing heavily, not quite panting. 

“i don’t know; where are you? are  _ you  _ okay? what happened?”

“I’m fine, love. Did you have a nightmare? I can be back in a few minutes.”

Of course Edge would offer to come back. Stretch didn’t deserve him. 

“no; not a nightmare. i just woke up and...i’m…” He wasn’t sure if he could lie and say that he was okay, but he was so confused. If Edge was okay, then why was he so out of breath? Why had he left? “what happened?”

“Nothing. Didn’t you see my note?”

Note? 

Oh, Stretch felt like an absolute idiot. He hadn’t even considered Edge might have left him a note. He looked around on the table beside the bed, feeling around when he didn’t see anything. There was no note. 

“um...i don’t see anything.” It didn’t matter. Edge was okay, and that was all Stretch should care about. Still, he couldn’t force his soul to let go of a twinge of hurt. Edge was fine, nothing had happened, but he’d still left without even saying goodbye. 

“It’s on the counter. I wanted to get a run in this morning before you woke up; I figured you’d sleep through it. I’m sorry if I worried you.”

Another wave of self-hatred hit Stretch like a tsunami. All at once, the memory of Edge saying he liked to run before the sun came up slapped him in the face. He should have remembered that earlier. 

He couldn’t breathe. Why did he have to be so stupid? If he’d just taken a minute to fucking think, he wouldn’t be in this situation. Edge was just fucking running, like he did every morning, and here Stretch was having a panic attack over the imagined possibility of finding his boyfriend’s dust.

“i’m sorry,” he managed to whisper. 

“Are you okay?”

He squeezed his sockets shut and tried to suck in a breath. “no.”

“I’m coming back. I’ll be there in a minute.” 

Before Stretch could say anything, Edge hung up. He let his phone drop to the floor and slumped down on the bed. 

Ten minutes later, he heard the front door unlock and open.

“Stretch?”  

The door shut and locked again, then his bedroom door swung open. 

“Love?”

Stretch managed to look over. 

Edge had borrowed one of his hoodies, a light gray one with his old college’s logo, a generic depiction of an atom contained within a capital “C”, printed in black on the front. It looked good on him. He took a moment to step out of his shoes before he gathered Stretch up in his arms and helped him to lay the right way on the bed. He lay down behind him and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into his chest as his little spoon. 

“I’m here, love,” he said softly. “I’m here. I’m so sorry I didn’t think; I should have left that note in here.”

Stretch shook his head; he couldn’t handle the thought of Edge feeling guilty over any of this. 

“Don’t argue with me, please,” Edge said, holding him tighter. “I just didn’t think about you having to leave your room to find it. Was it a bad attack?”

Stretch swallowed and nodded. He couldn’t tell Edge what he’d thought. 

“I’m so sorry. Do you want to talk about it?”

He shook his head instantly. 

Edge kissed the side of his skull. “That’s okay. I’m so proud of you for calling me. Thank you for doing that. I know it must have been hard, but you did it.” 

How Edge could be thanking him was beyond his comprehension, but he was grateful for it anyway. He tried to snuggle deeper into Edge’s embrace, and his arms immediately tightened. 

“The next time we stay the night together, I’ll wake you up before I go running, okay? I’ll let you know that I’m leaving so you don’t worry. Do you think that would help?”

“yeah,” he whispered, nodding. It would help immensely. 

“Okay, it’s a plan.”

* * *

Edge didn’t normally beat himself up over his decisions. There was no point to it; nothing he said or did to himself could change the past.

As he held Stretch against him, however, he internally chastised himself. He’d known that his love was experiencing panic attacks when he tried to leave his room in the middle of the night. He’d known that if Stretch were to wake up and find him gone, he’d have to leave his room to find the note he’d left. 

He’d known all of this, but none of it crossed his mind when he’d written the note and left it on the counter. He used to leave similar notes for his brother when they lived together, before Edge had joined the academy. 

Stretch’s easy forgiveness wasn’t so easy to swallow. He’d put his love through hell. Instead of soothing his fears as he wanted to do, he’d only exacerbated them. He could only imagine the things that went through Stretch’s mind as he wondered where Edge had gone. It wouldn’t have mattered that he knew Edge liked to run in the mornings. Stretch’s mind was playing tricks on him, and he hated to think that he’d feared the worst for their relationship. 

Edge tightened his arms around Stretch, pulling him even closer, and nuzzled at the back of his cervical vertebrae. Stretch’s hands clutched at his forearms, his body pressed tightly to Edge, and Edge could feel him shaking lightly. 

Seeing his love when he first walked, slumped over on the bed with an utterly defeated expression on his face, had hurt almost worse than their fight the day before had. That expression was entirely his fault. 

He sucked in a deep breath and pressed a kiss to Stretch’s shoulder. 

“How are you feeling?” he asked softly. 

Stretch shrugged, his shoulders only barely moving. “not very good.”

“Can I do anything?”

He was silent for a few moments, hopefully contemplating the question. His hands tightened on Edge’s arms as he whispered his answer. 

“just hold me?”

“Of course, love. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”

He let Stretch twine their legs together. His toes were clever as they somehow found their way into the opening of his right pant leg, up to the top of his sock and eased it down and off his foot. He then repeated the process on the left leg, then settled down as their feet rested together. 

Edge was smiling into Stretch’s neck. “You could have just asked me to take them off.”

“yeah, but i didn’t want you to move.”

“I see. Is this more comfortable for you then?” 

Stretch nodded as his toes curled, gently stroking Edge’s feet. “yep. the more of your bones i get to feel, the better.”

He hummed, quickly abandoning an idea to get up and strip naked. If Stretch didn’t want him to move enough to take his socks off, then he surely didn’t want him to let go to remove any other clothing. 

Still, he figured it would be better to ask. “Do you want me to--”

Stretch immediately shook his head and clutched desperately at his arms. “no. please don’t move. just hold me like this? this is good.”

“Okay.” He helped situate Stretch’s feet so they were between his, Stretch’s toes gripping onto his. Edge tried to stroke Stretch’s feet with his own toes, but he didn’t quite have to coordination for it. It felt more like sympathetic kicking, so he stopped. 

“Why didn’t you tell me you were part monkey?” Edge asked. 

Stretch snorted. “thought you already knew. i’m also really good at flinging shit at strangers.”

“Lovely,” he replied dryly. “At least one of us is; that’s a skill I’ve yet to learn.”

“i could teach you, but i’ll warn ya now it’s a messy job.”

“I imagine so. I think perhaps we should work up to that. Let’s start easier with nose picking.”

That got him a genuine laugh, and his soul felt happily relieved to hear it. 

“ah, yes, the art of booger flinging. it’s a little harder when you’re a skeleton monster with no nose or boogers to speak of, but if you concentrate you can make ‘em.” He turned his head to glance back at Edge and grinned, he’s used his magic to form an excessively large nose with wide nostrils. It reminded him of the nose that went on Groucho Marx glasses. “whaddaya think?”

“Handsome as ever.”

The nose dissipated, and Edge leaned in to kiss him. 

“sorry i freaked out,” he said softly, sadly.

Edge shook his head. “I’m sorry I caused it. I should have--”

Stretch shushed him and twisted, turning in Edge’s embrace to face him. “just...thank you for coming back. i don’t wanna think about it anymore; i just wanna go back to sleep and forget it happened.”

Edge could go for that same thing. He kissed Stretch again and shifted to lay on his back. “I love you.”

Stretch curled up against him, his head resting on Edge’s chest as his feet once again found their way between Edge’s. “love you, too. do you...wanna…” he stopped and sighed before he shook his head. “do you wanna go finish your run?”

Edge tightened his arms around his love. “No, I’m going to stay here with you. One missed morning won’t throw my routine or my health, and I’d much rather know that you’re okay.”

He didn’t miss the relief in the way Stretch relaxed against him. “okay.”

“Get some more sleep, love.”

Stretch hummed and nuzzled his chest, his body already loosening as he slipped into the sweet unconsciousness of sleep. 

Edge didn’t sleep. He wasn’t tired. Instead, he focused his attention on the skeleton in his arms. He took comfort in Stretch’s easy breathing, in the open trust he showed each time he fell asleep next to Edge. He vowed to himself that he would never again be the cause of another of Stretch’s panic attacks, no matter how indirectly it might have been. 

* * *

“What do you have planned for the day?” Edge asked as he set a plate of pancakes in front of Stretch. 

“nothing.” Stretch picked up the honey and began drizzling it over the pancakes without hesitation. He glanced at Edge as the moment dragged on, and the indulgent smirk on his face made Stretch’s soul clench with fondness. “what?” he asked, pretending to get defensive. He knew he didn’t need to explain himself or have an excuse for the amount of honey he liked on his pancakes, but there was an underlying discomfort from memories of a time when he did.

Edge shook his head and leaned over to plant a kiss to his forehead. 

“No wonder you’re so  _ sweet _ .” He walked away to get his own breakfast.

Stretch huffed. “i’m a regular honeybun cinnamon roll.”

“Something like it. Would you like to go shopping with me? I know it’s not exactly thrilling, but I’d enjoy the company.”

He sat next to Stretch and took the time to butter his pancakes before drizzling on an entirely too  _ polite  _ amount of maple syrup. 

“sure. i don’t have anything better to do, and i’d honestly rather spend time with you than anything else i could do here by myself.”  He took a bite and moaned in pure bliss. “you spoil me so hard,” he sighed, mouth still half-full. He swallowed before he spoke again. “your pancakes are the best. don’t tell blue i said that.”

Edge chuckled. “Your secret is safe with me. After we eat, I’d like to go by my house to get changed, then we can go to the store. Do you need anything while we’re out?”

Stretch just shook his head, preferring to eat rather than speak. He was going to be sad when Edge changed; there was something so lovely about seeing his baby in sweatpants and a hoodie. Not to mention those clothes being Stretch’s, which just added a whole other layer of sexiness. 

When he’d gotten up, Stretch had just slipped on a pair of orange, cotton shorts and a white t-shirt with two tape dispensers positioned to look like the number sixty-nine with a declaration of “this is my sex tape” underneath. Edge had laughed at it, which was the whole point, and he was thinking about just changing his shorts out for jeans and pulling a hoodie over the shirt.

After breakfast, he helped Edge clean up the kitchen. He had once been surprised by how much he actually liked helping Edge clean up. He still was, to a point, but it was getting easier to chalk it up to just enjoying the time he spent with his baby. Not even cleaning could deter him. 

“gonna go change, babe. i’ll be right back.” He leaned in and kissed Edge’s cheekbone. 

He decided to stick with his initial plan and changed into jeans before plucking out a hoodie from his closet. There were days when he sorely missed his old one. It had been as close to neon orange as cotton could get, soft as a baby bunny monster’s fur, and thick enough to keep him warm in the middle of winter. He’d gotten it for his birthday from his dad the year he’d turned fifteen years old, and at the time it had drowned him. He’d grown into it, though, just as his dad had said he would. 

He’d worn that hoodie everywhere, much to the complaint of those around him. He didn’t care, and soon those complaints were more for show than anything else, keeping up the charade. 

A part of his soul hated Chad for ripping it. As hard as Blue had tried to mend it, it never was the same with its thick scar a constant reminder.

Another part of him wondered if he’d even be able to wear it if it hadn’t gotten ruined. The memory of that night, the first time Chad had turned on him so violently and scared him to the point that he actually realized his brother was right and something was wrong, was like a bruise anytime he thought of it. It ached, deep in his soul, for so many different reasons. 

Stretch shook himself out of his thoughts and pulled out a different orange hoodie, this one plain and purposely too large so it hung loosely on his bones. Blue had gotten it for him to try to replace the other one. It still wasn’t the same, but it was the thought that counted. 

He slipped it on and stepped into his shoes, then went out to find Edge waiting for him on the couch. 

Edge smiled at him and stood up. “I considered borrowing that one this morning,” he said as he wrapped his arms around Stretch. “It almost felt like treason once I realized it was your only orange one, so I didn’t.” He leaned in and kissed him. 

Stretch kissed him back. “you can borrow anything of mine, no matter how orange it is.”

“Good to know; I’ll remember that.”  Another kiss. “Are you ready to go?”

“yeah, i think so.”

Edge cocked his head to the side. “Are you okay?”

Stretch sucked in a breath. “i’m good; i was just remembering things. long story.”

“I’m not in any hurry, love. We have time if you want to talk about it.” He gently rubbed Stretch’s arms, his hands firm against his bones.

“no, it’s okay. thanks, though.”

Edge nodded and pulled away. He picked up a bag with his things, took Stretch’s hand, and they left.

* * *

Edge made quick work of getting ready once they’d made it to his house. He made a mental note to look into the Curie Institute of Science, the name of the college on Stretch’s hoodie.

He knew his love was interested in going back to school, but the fear of what might be required of him to do so was overwhelming him at the moment. Perhaps Edge could help him. He certainly couldn’t clear the path for him, but he could at least help to map it out. 

He put on some dark jeans and fastened his belt with a golden buckle in the shape of a skull and crossbones, and chose a sensible sweater. Black, long sleeved, and comfortable, it was one Red had given to him for Gyftmas a while back. It was still one of his favorites.

Downstairs, he picked out his boots. He preferred them over his tennis shoes any day. If asked, he’d deny that it was only because of the aesthetic. 

Stretch was lounging on the couch as he played games on his phone. He looked up when Edge walked in. 

“damn, babe, you look hot.” He sat up and tucked his phone into his hoodie pocket. “and i’m not just talking temperature.”

Edge smirked. “Thank you for the clarification. I was worried there for a second.” He stepped up to Stretch and held out a hand. Stretch took it and stood next to him. “Are you ready to go?”

Stretch shook his head. “not yet. gotta do something first.”

Edge nodded and moved to step back. Stretch caught him with his arms around his shoulders. He leaned in and kissed him deeply, pressing his body against Edge’s in a delightful tease. Edge held him gently and kissed back just as eagerly. 

They were both breathing heavily when Stretch pulled back. He grinned. 

“okay, now i’m ready.”

Edge couldn’t help but steal one more, soft kiss before they left.

At the store, it was clear that Stretch was doing his best to keep his hands to himself. It was also clear that his love was feeling better than he had that morning. Jokes and puns were flowing out of his mouth as easily as profanities did from Red, each one accompanied by a visual that had Edge struggling to keep his composure.

“hey, babe; you’re one in a melon.” Stretch held out a watermelon. 

“penne for your thoughts?” A box of pasta, this joke followed closely by, “what do you call a fake noodle? an impasta.”

“you’re shrimply the best.” A bag of uncooked shrimp.

“wanna get knotty?” he asked, holding up a bag of pretzels.

Edge decided to give him a taste of his own medicine as he picked out a small package of butter. 

“There’s no one butter than you.”

Stretch stopped and stared at him for a second before his face broke out in a huge grin. 

“aw, babe, i love you so much. you don’t gotta butter me up like that. don’t spread it on so thick, babe; you butter believe i can’t take it.”

Edge chuckled softly and picked up a carton of eggs. “You crack me up, love.”

“an egg-celent pun, a timeless classic.” 

They continued on in much the same vein until they passed the aisle with school supplies. Stretch suddenly went silent, not a single word, pun or otherwise, left his mouth for three full aisles. 

“Did you run out of ideas?” Edge asked. He knew something was bothering his love, but he didn’t want to come out and ask what it was. Not yet. 

Stretch looked at him for a second before he sucked in a breath. “can we go back? i wanna show you something; it’s just a few aisles back.”

“Of course. I’ll follow you.”

He let Stretch lead the way back to the school supplies. There were other things there, packing materials, art supplies, even a few office items. Stretch picked up a paint palette in a package with several small jars of different colored paints. 

Edge waited. His soul itched to ask if he was ready to try painting again, but perhaps he was just thinking about it, not quite there yet. Either way, Edge was proud of him for bringing it up.

“you remember a while ago, when we first started dating, we talked about painting?”

He nodded. “Yes, I remember.”

Stretch swallowed and set the palette back down. “i’ve been thinking...and i kinda want to give it a shot. i know i’m not any good, and i really don’t want to try in front of anyone. i mean anyone other than you. do you think we could...maybe...i don’t know. it’s probably a dumb idea.”

Edge abandoned his cart to pull Stretch into a hug. “It’s absolutely not a dumb idea, and I would love to paint with you. I would suggest we go somewhere else for better materials, but we can certainly start planning. Would you want to go somewhere? I know a few artists who prefer to work outdoors. I’m sure we would also be just fine at either of our homes. Whatever you’d prefer.”

Stretch nodded and kissed him before he pulled back. “i don’t want to go anywhere; probably just at my place if that’s okay. i know you wouldn’t mind, but i don't want to risk getting paint all over your house.”

Edge smirked. “I’m sure I could handle it. Regardless, your place is just fine. Next weekend?”

“yeah, that’d be great.” 

“Excuse me?” an irritated voice interrupted. 

Both skeletons looked over to see a female cat monster with a few kittens around her. 

“Yes?” Edge asked. His cart wasn’t in their way. Perhaps she needed something they were blocking. 

“Do you mind keeping that kind of activity to yourselves? My children don’t need to see that.”

He blinked, a little surprised. He was even more surprised when Stretch wrapped his arms around him again.

“don’t need to see what? hugs? kisses?” he planted a sloppy kiss on Edge’s cheekbone. “this is called ‘affection’ kiddos; it’s not a bad thing.”

The mother narrowed her eyes at Stretch. “Can’t you see he’s fell-verse?”

Edge felt Stretch’s bones go rigid. He mock gasped. “he  _ is? _ you’re fucking kidding me? when the hell were you gonna tell me, edge?”

“I was hoping never would work for you.”

“yeah, good call. seems like these tale-verse assholes can’t see a good thing when it’s standing right in front of them.” 

He pulled back and positioned himself between Edge and the mother. “you think i didn’t know that? of course i know what he is, and i love him even more for it. you have no clue how good he is, how hard he tries to make people like you see past the fact that he's fell-verse and give him a chance. kiddos, take note, because your mom is one of hell of a bad example. fell-verse monsters aren’t bad people, they aren’t out to hurt anyone or take anyone’s kids away. 

“my boyfriend here is a cop, and a damn good one at that. he puts his life on the line every day so people like you can go on living safe, happy lives. you have no idea what he’s been through, and you still come up to me and pretend like you’re being helpful when all you’re doing is making him feel like shit.”

The mother actually had the decency to look a little ashamed of herself. She looked at Edge shyly for a moment before she sucked in a breath and moved her gaze to Stretch.

“I apologize.”

Stretch snorted. “not to me you don’t. i’m not the one you wanted to hurt and you know it.”

One of her kittens, gray with white around her muzzle, tugged on her shirt. “Mommy?”

She looked down. “What, honey?”

The kitten gestured for her to lean down, and she did. Whatever the kid whispered to her made her smile softly, and she nodded. “Yes, that would be great, sweetheart.” She stood back up and looked at Edge again. “My daughter would like to give you something, if that’s okay.”

Edge swallowed and looked at Stretch. He shrugged, looking a little concerned himself. Edge nodded; he wanted to believe that the child would be less hateful than her mother. 

The girl stepped forward, and Edge knelt down to be closer to her height. She held up a small flower with red petals and a yellow center. 

“I picked it on the way here. Mommy said I shouldn’t pick flowers from other people’s yards and that I have to throw it away before we go home. I want you to have it instead. Thank you for being a cop and keeping us safe.”

Edge took the flower gently, lifting it to his face to sniff. The scent was soft and sweet. “Thank you,” he managed, his voice tight with emotion. 

The girl grinned and shuffled back to her mother. 

“I am sorry,” the mother said as Edge stood back up. “I guess I didn’t think...oh, well. Have a nice day, gentlemen.” She nodded once and began to herd her children down the aisle. 

Stretch turned to Edge once the cat family was gone. “are you okay?” he asked, reaching up to cup his jaw. 

Edge nodded. “Yes, I’m okay.” He couldn’t help but smile. “She gave me her flower.”

“that was the cutest shit i’ve ever seen, by the way. maybe there’s hope for those kittens.”

“Thank you, Stretch.”  He pulled his love in for a soft kiss. As much as he wanted to hold him close and deepen the kiss, make out with him, he had to remind himself they were still standing in the middle of the store. A few small kisses was the most he’d allow himself here. “Thank you so much.”

Stretch kissed him back before pulling away. “all i did was tell the truth. how much more do you need to get?”

He checked his list. “Not much. A few more things and then we can leave.”

Edge took a moment to carefully settle his new flower in the seat of the cart so it didn’t fall out, then they were off to finish the rest of their shopping.


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy. This is it, guys. The last chapter. This has been such a fun story to write. Thank you guys so much for sticking with me through the process. Hugs to you all!!

Stretch was awake when Edge returned from his morning run. He might have been concerned if it weren’t for Stretch sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in hand and a smile bright on his face. 

“Good morning, love,” he said, a bit out of breath. “You couldn’t go back to sleep after I left?”

Stretch shrugged. “not really? i think i’m just excited about today.”

Edge nodded and leaned in to give him a kiss before he left to shower. 

He’d stayed the night with Stretch the night before, their day planned around a single activity. They’d already gotten all of the supplies they could need. 

As he washed away sweat and spent magic from the night before, he smiled to himself and remembered Stretch’s absolute determination to pick out the best and yet cheapest supplies possible. He had been under the impression that he was buying all of his own things. Edge wasn’t having any of it, and together they decided that Stretch could purchase the less expensive things they were going to need. 

Granted, this wasn’t going to become an everyday thing, but if Stretch was going to pursue his hobby again, Edge wanted him to have materials that were going to last. 

After his shower, he dried off and wrapped the towel around his hips before walking to the bedroom to get dressed. Stretch was in the living room, and his hum of appreciation made Edge smile. He expected Stretch to follow him, and he was not disappointed. 

He took his time pulling his clean clothes from his bag, his smile widening as Stretch shut the door. 

“you know, it’s really not fair of you to walk around like that,” Stretch said, his voice low. 

Edge shivered at the sound. “I could have left the towel in the bathroom.” He turned to see Stretch’s lopsided grin.

“yeah, you totally should have. it’s a crime to hide a body as sexy as yours.”

Edge snorted as Stretch sauntered up to him. “Hiding bodies is what humans do. Regardless, it’s a crime no matter how sexy the body is. Or used to be.”

Stretch’s hands halted on his ribs. He let his forehead fall onto Edge’s left scapula with a thunk. “i really should have seen that coming.”

“Yes, you should have.” He turned and pulled Stretch into a kiss. “But I’d bet you’d like to see something else coming, wouldn’t you?”

“if it’s you coming on my face, fuck yeah.”

Edge let himself get pushed down onto the bed, let Stretch kiss and touch his way down to his hips where he all but ripped the towel away. His magic was already formed, and he watched with eager appreciation as Stretch sank to his knees and began to suck him off. 

* * *

By the time they made it back out to the living room, both dressed and ready for the day to begin, it was much later than Stretch had initially wanted to get started. 

On the other hand, it was much earlier than he normally sauntered out of bed on a day off.

Either way, he was eager to get on with the day. 

He honestly couldn’t say why he was so excited about painting. Sure, it was something he had once enjoyed as a hobby, but it wasn’t a passion. It wasn’t his life’s goal to become a famous artist or anything even closely related. 

Edge had suggested that it was because he hadn’t done it in so long mixed with a complicated mix of emotions due to one abusive ex-boyfriend. He was probably right. He usually was. 

After breakfast, Stretch helped Edge move some things out of the way and lay out the tarp they’d gotten to protect his carpet. On top of that they set out their easels.

Stretch had insisted they didn’t need anything quite so fancy, but Edge wouldn’t hear it. He had argued that Stretch wasn’t going to be painting with watercolors on his kitchen table, and therefore he needed something to properly hold the canvases he’d be using.

He had relented only because arguing with Edge was only fun when it was a joke or if he was winning. And because, deep down inside, he wanted to have these things again. 

Once upon a time, he’d had a nice easel and oil paints in every color and more brushes than he could ever use because he’d buy them when he found a cool one he didn’t already have. He kind of hated himself for getting rid of everything; he didn’t have even a single brush left over. 

Edge may have gone a bit overboard when getting what they’d need for a single activity, but somehow Stretch knew it wasn’t just for that. Edge had gotten so much stuff because he wanted Stretch to be able to do this whenever he wanted. 

He wasn’t even sure he’d still enjoy it. Yeah, he was excited to try it, but he knew in his soul it was pointless. He wasn’t very good at it, and it wasn’t like he was going to sell any of his work. 

He took a deep breath and pushed that thought away. Neither being good nor selling his work was the point. The only point in this was that it was a hobby he used to enjoy and he wanted to at least try it again. 

But what if he didn’t like it and Edge had spent all that money for nothing?

“Are you okay?” 

Edge’s voice brought him out of his thoughts. He looked up and gave a watery smile. 

“just thinking. um...what are we gonna do with everything if i don’t...want to keep painting?” A part of him, deep down in his soul, waited for Edge to get annoyed or even angry at the suggestion. 

Instead, Edge smiled and walked around his easel to pull Stretch into a tight hug. He kissed the side of Stretch’s skull.

“If this isn’t what you need it to be anymore, if you no longer enjoy painting the way you had once before, then I would like to donate the equipment and supplies to Trevor, my friend who holds those classes. Would that be alright?”

Stretch hugged him back hard and nodded into his shoulder. “yeah, that would be good.” At least then he knew they’d be put to good use.

Edge pulled back and kissed him again. “Good. Will you help me get these ready?” He gestured to the small pots of paint they’d gotten, two of each so they could have their own.

Once they were finally ready to start, Stretch had a pretty good idea of what he wanted to paint. He never had been interested in trying to make his art realistic. It was too stressful, trying to make something appear like it did in real life. Instead, he tended to sketch out some fantastical creature he’d made up and paint it in bright colors. Today was no exception. 

Halfway through his sketch, he looked over to see Edge staring intently at his own canvas. His eye lights flickered up to him for only a brief second, but it happened again a few minutes later. It gave him an idea of what Edge might be painting. 

He couldn’t wait to see the result. 

Instead of trying to peek, he continued with his own work. After finishing his sketch, he decided that his dragon shark was going to be mainly orange with some blue and yellow highlights. He took a moment to mix a little bit of red into a puddle of orange to get the right color, then began to paint his masterpiece.

Watching his creation come to life was just as satisfying as it always had been. He lost himself to the process of creativity, to coloring in the creature’s body entirely before moving on to the smaller details, to creating highlights and shadows, to showing off the rows of deadly teeth in his creation’s mouth. Each of the scales along the dragon shark’s body were given the attention they deserved. 

He had no idea how much time had passed when he took a step back to admire his work. It probably wasn’t done yet; there were a few more details he wanted to add along the tail, gills, and talons. Perhaps he should add some fiery effect to the wings? 

“how’s yours coming?” he asked, looking over to see Edge watching him silently. His expression was one of soft admiration, and it made Stretch blush a little.

Edge smiled. “I’m nearly finished.”

“cool. me too, i think. maybe. can i see yours?”

“No, not yet.”

Stretch huffed. “if i can’t see yours yet, then you can’t see mine.” 

Instead of the intrigue or curiosity he had hoped to inspire with that comment, Edge merely nodded.

“That’s perfectly fine.”

He frowned, but instead of letting himself dwell on it, he simply went back to carving out a few more terrifying details. It was easy to lose himself to it again, this time figuring out the right color combination for a light sheen of fire along the tops of the dragon shark’s wings. 

He continued on, letting his creativity flow unhindered by what was realistic or feasible. Dragon sharks could totally have flaming wings under water and spit boiling water at their enemies. 

When he finally reached a point where he was struggling to come up with more details to add, he decided he was done. He could keep going if he really wanted to, but it was usually better to stop when he ran out of ideas or he’d risk ruining what he’d already done. 

He looked up to see Edge watching him with that same soft look from before. 

“i think i’m done,” he said, setting his brush down.

Edge nodded. “I am as well. Would you like to come see?”

Stretch couldn’t have held back a burst of excitement if he tried. He smiled and nodded as he all but scrambled over to see Edge’s canvas. 

He had expected to see some caricature of himself from the way Edge had been glancing at him earlier, but he was not prepared for what he saw. He could only stare in silence for a moment taking it all in. 

Edge had once said he wasn’t a very good artist. From what Stretch was seeing, that was an extraordinary lie. 

The painting was of Stretch, from his shoulders up. The likeness was incredible; it felt like he was looking in a mirror, right down to the smears of paint he had undoubtedly gotten on his jaw and cheekbones. 

What got him the most wasn’t that Edge was a good artist or that the image was so realistic. It was the way Edge had drawn him. He was...beautiful. There was no other word to describe what Stretch was seeing. His bones were flawlessly sleek and polished, his eye lights shone brightly with perhaps a slightly different color than his own, but that was due to the limited colors Edge had to work with. 

“What do you think?” Edge asked.

Stretch still stared at the painting. “you…” He cleared his throat, realizing then that he was getting choked up. Edge’s hands found his shoulders, and Stretch leaned back into him. “you said you weren’t any good.”

Edge kissed the side of his head. “I struggle with art. I’m not a very creative person in general, and it takes a lot of patience to create something to my standards of realism. I have an overwhelming amount of patience for other people, but only a small amount for myself. Perhaps it’s not the best, but I’ve accepted that about myself and I work with it. I found the patience for it today in watching you paint. I take it you enjoyed it?”

Stretch nodded. “yeah, it was great. and this...edge, i can’t even tell you how...is this really how you see me?”

Another kiss to his skull. “Yes. You are truly beautiful to me, Stretch. Even when you have different colors decorating your face.”

Stretch snickered and pulled away. “careful, i might decorate you, too.”

Edge only shrugged. “I accepted the fact that I would likely get dirty long before we started painting. Now, let me see yours.”

As Edge moved around the canvases, Stretch suddenly felt a strong pulse of doubt. He didn’t struggle when Edge pulled him with, but he did close his eyes and wait for his boyfriend’s critique.

When Edge didn’t say anything for a long while, only held him close with his chin on Stretch’s shoulder, he could only assume the worst. Edge hated it. It wasn’t realistic. It was stupid. Such a stupid idea. 

“This is incredibly creative work,” Edge finally said. 

Stretch opened his eyes. “what?”

“How did you come up with this concept?”

He thought about that for a second. He honestly didn’t know...it just kind of happened. He shrugged his shoulders. 

Edge hummed. “Tell me about it. Does it live underwater since it’s at least part shark, or more on land?”

He hadn’t really thought too much about that. He made up an answer. “um...i think mostly underwater, but it can survive on land for a while, too.”

Edge nodded. “And is this just water, or is it some form of acid?” he pointed to the spray coming from the dragon shark’s mouth. 

“it’s boiling water.”

“That’s a nice touch. Hot like fire, but watery for a shark. I like it.”

Stretch couldn't help but feel a bit proud of that. As Edge asked more questions and Stretch either answered from what he had already decided about the creature or made up answers on the fly, he felt more and more secure in his painting. 

“Does it have a name?”

“not yet. maybe motley?”

“Motley. It certainly fits.” 

Stretch turned in Edge’s embrace and wrapped his arms around Edge’s shoulders. “thank you. for everything; for all of this and for not thinking it’s dumb. it’s just a silly cartoon, but it was fun.”

Edge held him tighter. His brow bones furrowed. “Of course it’s not dumb. You are a very creative person, Stretch. Just because your brand of art isn’t realism or abstract doesn’t mean it isn’t valid. Simple cartoon or not, the point is that you enjoy it. And, to be perfectly honest with you, you are quite talented. I know you said you never intended to sell any of your work, but you could if you wanted to.”

To hear that coming from his pragmatic boyfriend made his soul swell with happiness. He leaned in and kissed Edge deeply, slowly. Edge kissed back, his hands holding him tighter.

Stretch pulled back a moment later. They were both breathing a bit heavier. 

“should we clean up?”

“Yes, that would be a good idea.” Edge nodded, his forehead against Stretch’s. “Afterward, we can have some lunch and decide what we’re going to do with our new paintings.”

Stretch nodded and stepped back. He really wanted to tackle Edge to the ground right here and now and fuck him until they were both too tired to go anymore. 

Oh, what the hell.

“hey, edge?”

Edge turned, a pot of yellow paint in his hands. Stretch stepped up to him and took the pot from his hands. He set it aside and turned back to Edge, gripping his shirt as he pulled him in and kissed him again. Edge’s arms wrapped around him eagerly, holding him tightly as he kissed back fervently. 

Stretch let his hands slide down Edge’s ribs, his spine, to his hips. He cupped Edge’s crotch, admiring the bulge he felt there. He squeezed lightly, causing Edge to moan into the kiss and buck his hips. 

He pulled back from the kiss again but didn’t move his hand. “can i have your pussy?” he asked, a little shy. 

Edge smiled and nodded. “Of course, love.” 

That tantalizing bulge faded under Stretch’s hand. He quickly unbuttoned Edge’s pants and shoved them down, exposing the folds of a bright crimson cunt. 

“goddamn, you’re so fucking hot.” He lifted Edge’s shirt over his head and tossed it over to the couch. “i’ll try to last a bit longer this time.” He started on his own clothes, stripping down and tossing his clothes somewhere off the tarp.

Edge smirked and kissed him. “I’ll consider it a compliment if you don’t.”

Stretch knelt down in front of Edge and ran his hands up his legs to his hips. Watching Edge shiver was a delight, as was the way his cunt responded to his light touch. “what if i eat you out first like you do for me?”

Edge got down next to Stretch and slowly pushed him back, laying on top of him. “If that’s what you’d like to do, then yes, please.”

Stretch grinned and turned them over so he was on top. “i love you, edge. i’ll try to make it good like you do.”

Edge’s hands stopped him from moving down and instead pulled him in for a kiss. “I’ve told you before that practice is the key. If our last time is anything to go by, it will be incredible.”

He felt himself blush as he kissed Edge once more and then began working his way down Edge’s body. He kissed and licked at his sternum, dragging his fingertips down the inner surface as he did. He bit lightly at his floating ribs as his fingers gently massaged his lower spine and the soft cartilage between his vertebrae. 

His cunt was already dripping when Stretch made his way between Edge’s legs. He gave an experimental first lick and smiled at the way Edge’s body jerked, the way he moaned and his hands reached for something to hold onto. He followed the example Edge had set so many times before, licking and sucking at his cunt. He tasted good, different from when he was sucking his cock but still similar in a comforting way. 

Stretch understood why Edge liked to do this to him; seeing and hearing Edge fall apart under his mouth was intoxicating. He reached up and took Edge’s hand, twining their fingers together to give him something to grip as he came undone. 

His orgasm hit him hard. Stretch closed his eyes and let the passion of it wash over him. Edge’s back arched as he cried out and his cunt spasmed around his tongue. He kept going until Edge pushed him back.

He wiped his mouth on his arm and made his way back up to lie next to his lover. “how was that?”

Edge nodded, still panting. His bones shimmered with sweat that accentuated his many scars, and his joints glowed brightly with crimson magic. He was fucking gorgeous. 

“That was good.” He pulled Stretch into his arms and gave him a trembling kiss. “Now get over here and fuck me.”

He let himself get pulled on top of Edge and settled between his legs. “do you need a minute?”

Shaking his head, Edge reached between them and gently stroked Stretch’s cock. “No, I’m ready. I want you inside me.”

Stretch shivered and nodded. “okay.” He slipped inside and pushed in slowly. He wouldn’t repeat the same mistake he’d made before and hurt his baby. His eyes slid closed as he hilted, and he leaned down to rest his forehead on Edge’s shoulder. He set a slow pace to start with, just enjoying the pleasure and trying to bring as much of it to Edge as he could. 

All too soon, it wasn’t enough. His body craved more, harder, faster. He gave in easily, crying out as Edge’s hands gripped his hips and helped him find a pace that satisfied them both. 

“Fuck, yes, Stretch... _fuck_! Fuck me harder.”

He tried to give Edge what he wanted. His body was spiraling out of his control, pleasure taking over. He didn’t want it to end so soon, but he couldn’t stop it now. He reached between them and rubbed Edge’s clit, trying to make him cum again. Edge’s cunt squeezed his cock, and he was done. He gasped and choked out a cry as he came in hot spurts, his body shaking until he collapsed next to Edge. 

“fuck, i’m sorry, baby.”

Edge gathered him into his arms and kissed his paint-slathered cheekbone. “Don’t be, love. That was very nice.”

Stretch nuzzled into him, turning onto his side to better snuggle. “someday, i want to be able to fuck you like you fuck me. i want to be able to last long enough to make you cum more than once.”

“And someday you will. We just have to keep at it and build up your stamina. I can show you a few tricks that will help.”

As they snuggled together on the tarp, uncomfortably damp with sweat and cum, Stretch couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to masturbate with Edge as he taught him how to control his body. The idea was thrilling and arousing all at once. 

Edge shifted and groaned. “I need another shower. Would you like to join me?”

“yeah. note for the future, tarps aren’t the best surfaces to fuck on.”

“It’s better than carpet burn, I assure you.”

Stretch could agree to that. He’d experienced that before and it was not pleasant. He just nodded as they got up and Edge led the way to the bathroom. 

They made out under the spray of the shower and laughed as Edge tried to clean away the paint on Stretch’s face. 

“I’m not sure why I thought water would work,” Edge muttered; “it’s oil based paint.”

“i used to have a bunch of nail polish remover, but i’m pretty sure i got rid of it all.” He looked down at his hands, spattered with a colorful mix of oranges and blues. 

“We can use some cooking oil and dish soap; it’ll come right off.” He kissed Stretch before continuing with their shower.

Once clean, they dried off and walked naked to the bedroom to get dressed. Edge had brought extra clothes, knowing he was likely going to get the ones he wore to paint in dirty. Stretch was sad to see those sexy bones disappear under a black shirt and jeans once again, but he sure as hell couldn’t complain. He looked just as good in the clothes as he did out of them.

Edge smirked at him. “You’re staring at me.”

Stretch blinked and finished getting dressed. “it’s not my fault you’re so sexy.”

“It’s a burden I must bear.” He held out and hand, and Stretch took it. He blushed when Edge kissed his knuckles. “Are you hungry?”

“starving.” 

“Then let’s make some lunch and clean up the living room.” 

The rest of their day was spent together. After lunch, they put away the painting supplies. Edge helped Stretch decide where he’d keep everything and set up a small area in the corner of the living room just for painting. It took a little rearranging, but Edge’s energy was endless. He refused to let Stretch apologize when he needed to take a break.

Afterward, Edge helped Stretch clean up the paint on his bones. As he’d said, the cooking oil and dish soap worked perfectly. Soon enough, he was paint-free.

“how do i look?” he asked, pretending to model for his boyfriend. 

Edge smirked. “Truly gorgeous.”

Stretch blushed and leaned in for a kiss. “what should we do now?”

“Anything you’d like.”

“why is it always up to me?” he mock whined. He didn’t truly mind, but he didn’t have any ideas, either.

Edge shrugged. “I’m just happy spending time with you, love. Whatever you’d like to do is fine with me. Would you like to watch a movie?”

They did that a lot. Not that it was a bad thing, but Stretch wanted to do something different. Granted, their earlier painting was very different, but he wanted...something. 

“what if we go get some hot cocoa or something and take a walk? i know it’s cold out, but...i don’t know. i wanna do something fun.”

Edge nodded and pulled him in for another kiss. “That sounds lovely. I know just the place.”

* * *

Edge watched Stretch as they strolled down the snowy path. The past week had been a bit of a struggle. He wanted to be with Stretch every single day, but it simply wasn’t possible. That Stretch had called him twice after nightmares only made that desire stronger. He had nearly come to his love the second night he’d called, only stopped by Stretch asking him not to. 

“How are you doing, Stretch?” he asked. He’d tried to talk about this the night before, but Stretch wasn’t willing.

Stretch nodded and sipped his cocoa. “better, i think. today has been really great, so thank you for that.”

Edge didn’t miss the way he kept his face turned away. 

“You’re more than welcome. I’ve had a good time myself.”  He sucked in a breath and watched the steam puff away as he exhaled. “Have you contacted any of those therapists I recommended?”

To his happy surprise, Stretch nodded. “yeah, actually, i have an appointment next wednesday with that dr. higgins.”

“Good! I’m glad to hear it.”

That time, Stretch did look at him. “you sound surprised.”

There was no point in denying it. “I am, a little. Not that you contacted them, but that you did it so quickly. Many people struggle with taking that step.”

He looked down at his feet, his sneakers already starting to dampen due to the snow. Edge wished he would have worn better shoes. 

“yeah, well, it took me too long to admit i need help in the first place. didn’t wanna keep fucking this up.” He shrugged.

“Fucking what up?” Edge asked curiously. 

“this.” He gestured between the two of them. “us.”

Edge stopped and reached out to grab at Stretch’s sleeve. “Stretch, stop. Come here.” He pulled him close, minding their drinks, and gave him a small kiss. “Love, nothing you have done could be considered fucking this up. I mean that. You made a mistake, that’s all. So did I; I said things I shouldn’t have. I am really happy to know that you’re still seeking therapy, but please try to believe that I would still love you just as much if you had decided not to.” 

Stretch nodded. “it might take me a bit, but i’ll try to believe that.” He took Edge’s hand, entwining their fingers, and continued walking. “it’s like, this part of my soul is still so scared that i’m going to do something so bad you’ll leave me. i don’t wanna be afraid of that, but i also don’t wanna ever take you for granted. i don’t really know what the happy medium is.”

Edge lifted their hands and kissed Stretch’s fingers. “It’s knowing that I’m always here for you, that I love you unconditionally, but also being mindful that I have my own boundaries and that I exist outside my relationship with you. I have no doubt that you would never forget that, you would never take me for granted, but I promise I would let you know if I felt that were happening.” 

Stretch smiled at him. “do you really promise that?”

“Yes, I do.”

“okay, good. that helps.” He nodded and took another sip of his cocoa. “i really love you, edge.”

He squeezed Stretch’s fingers. “I love you, too.” He cleared his throat and sucked in another deep breath. “I have a question for you.” 

Stretch looked at him again. “okay?”

“My brother asked me a question the other day. I’m certain he was just trying to be an asshole as usual, but it got me thinking. What would you say if I asked you to move in with me?”

Red had actually asked why his sweet-cheeks wasn’t already moved in. If he was having trouble sleeping by himself, having nightmares and panic attacks about losing Edge, wasn’t moving in together the logical solution?

In a way, it was. It may not cure Stretch of his PTSD, but it had already been proven that it was easier on him when they stayed the night together. 

All the same, Edge didn’t want the decision to be made based on that alone. It would be a huge step in their relationship, and if they weren’t both ready for it in every possible way, it could cause trouble.

Stretch stopped walking and stared at Edge for a long moment. He could read the disbelief in Stretch’s face. It stung, just a little, but Edge pushed it aside easily. 

“I’m sorry, love. It was too soon to ask.”

He sputtered then, blinking rapidly. “wait, wait...were you actually asking? or just asking how i felt about it?”

“Just how you feel about it.”

Stretch nodded. “okay, um...i don’t know? i’ve thought about it before, but i always thought it would be too soon. do you want me to?”

“When you’re ready, yes.”

“how will i know when i’m ready?”

The growing panic in Stretch’s eye lights made Edge start to regret bringing this up. He cupped Stretch’s jaw and urged him to look at him. 

“Love, please calm down. I’m in no hurry, I assure you. You’ll know when you’re ready because the idea won’t scare you.”

“i’m not scared of it!” He was breathing faster, his body shaking. 

“You’re in the middle of a panic attack, Stretch. Take a deep breath and let it out slowly.” Edge demonstrated, pleased when Stretch copied him. He did it a few more times, kept it up until Stretch stopped shaking so much. 

“okay, yeah, it does kind of scare me. i’m sorry, baby, i--”

“No apologies,” Edge interrupted. “This isn’t something you ever need to apologize for or even try to explain, okay? Yes, I would love it if you moved in with me, but not before you’re ready. I don’t ever want you to do something you’re not okay with, especially not anything that big. You don’t owe me any explanation as to why you’re not ready, either. These things take time, and there’s not always a reason. Okay?”

Stretch nodded and took a tiny step closer to rest his forehead on Edge’s shoulder. “okay. thank you so much for understanding.”

Edge lifted his hand not holding his drink to rest on the back of Stretch’s beanie-covered skull. “I may not always be able to understand things so well all the time, but I can promise you, Stretch, that I will always try.” He pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “You’re still shaking. Are you okay?”

Stretch stepped back and nodded. “yeah, i’m just cold.”

“Let’s head back then.”

They turned and began down the path back toward the car. He took Stretch’s free hand in his and tucked them both into the pocket of his coat.

“hey, edge?” Stretch’s voice was soft, the look he was giving Edge full of love.

“Yes?”

“i’m really glad i met you.”

He squeezed Stretch’s fingers in his pocket. “I am, too.”

“do you believe in fate?”

The question took him by surprise. He had never believed in it before, never thought there was any such thing as a higher power watching over them. If that were the case, they must surely hate him and his brother. It was easier to deny their existence than try to come up with reasons for the things he’d witnessed.

And yet, he couldn’t help but wonder in that brief moment if there was some kind of higher plan that led Stretch to that bar that night. So many little details had to work perfectly for them to get together. If Edge hadn’t gotten drunk, he wouldn’t have taken Stretch home. And what had led Stretch to that particular bar on that particular night? 

It didn’t really matter. As much as he loved Stretch and was truly happy that they were together, it didn’t negate all of the terrible things that he’d seen or all the things he’d been through personally. 

“No, I don’t,” he finally answered. 

Stretch nodded. “i think i do.”

Edge smiled. “It’s a nice thought in terms of us. I just can’t justify it with everything else in my life. Please don’t take that as me trying to tell you not to believe in it. Believe in it all you want; I’m just saying that I don’t.”

“so you’re not offended that i do?” Stretch asked carefully.

“Of course not, love. Does it bother you that I don’t?”

He shook his head. “no.”

“Okay, then.”

They made it back to the car and headed back to Stretch’s apartment. Edge stayed a while longer, snuggling on the couch to get Stretch warm again. When he left that evening, it was with a kiss and a promise to text when he got home. 

Their relationship wasn’t perfect, but none ever was. They had a ways to go, and that was just fine. The moment a relationship had nowhere to go, no possible way to progress, was the moment it would begin to die. There was always a way to keep the relationship going, no matter how long a couple had been together. 

Edge was looking forward to seeing how his relationship with Stretch would grow and change over time. 

* * *

**Epilogue -  One Year Later**

Stretch huffed as he set the box in his arms down with a thud. Books were fucking heavy. He probably should have let Edge carry that one, but he wasn’t weak, dammit! 

Okay, he was a little weak, but he was strong enough to carry his own damn box of books. 

He looked around the living room, still not entirely sure how they were going to make this work. Edge had plenty of room, this was true, but Stretch realized quickly after he’d started to pack that he had a lot more shit than he’d first thought. 

After a few breaths and stretches to get his arms back from the limp noodles they’d become, he went back out to help carry more stuff in. 

It had taken him a lot longer than he wanted to be ready to move in with Edge. Every time he thought of it, he’d get scared. He wasn’t sure why, but some lingering fear was always there. Until one day it wasn’t. One day that little twinge of panic was replaced by excitement, and it kept growing until he finally confessed to Edge that he thought he was ready. 

Edge asked him to talk to his therapist about it first, and he did. Together they helped Stretch to come to the conclusion that he really was ready. He still didn’t know for sure what his previous fears were from, but that didn’t matter. All that mattered was that they were gone. 

He had still been nervous to tell Blue, but that had proven needless. Blue was excited for him, even said he’d been expecting the news. He helped scrounge up boxes and was there every step of the way to support his brother. 

They made a plan to move everything over the Gyftmas holiday when he was out of school. 

He’d started back at the Curie Institute of Science that fall and had passed his first semester with all A’s. He was proud of himself, sure, but nothing felt better than his brother, boyfriend, and all of his friends cheering him on. 

He kept his job at the bank but had gone down to part time for school. They’d worked with him, even encouraged him. 

“How are you doing?” Edge asked as they set down another few boxes. 

Stretch was panting at that point. Despite the cold season, he was hot from exertion. “okay? i think? i might need a break soon.”

Edge nodded and pulled him over to the couch. “Sit. Take a break.”

“but i can’t just let you guys do all the work!”

Dyne came in at that moment and snorted. “Work? You call this work? This is nothin’.”

Stretch still wasn’t entirely sure what to think of her. She was Edge’s best friend and so he knew she was a good person, but she sometimes scared the shit out of him. She reminded him vaguely of Blue’s friend Alphys, only meaner. And more muscley.

“nothing to you, maybe,” he muttered.

Speaking of Alphys, she walked in carrying a few boxes. “Why are we sitting around doing nothing? This isn’t breaktime, pussies!”

“That’s what I was saying,” Dyne shouted.

“Both of you shut up and get back to work if you’re not interested in taking a break.”

Stretch tried hard not to shrink into himself. They were right; it wasn’t break time. There was work to do, and he couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. 

“Stretch, love, please don’t push yourself. You know those two; they couldn’t sit still if you paid them. You aren’t them, and I won’t let you hurt yourself trying to be.”

He sighed and sat back. “fine. can i at least start going through stuff or figuring out where it goes?”

Edge leaned in and kissed him. “As long as you can do it sitting down, yes.”

At least it was doing something. “okay.”

Edge nodded and left to cart more stuff in. He directed the others as they came in, telling them where to take the stuff they were carrying. 

It seemed time moved much faster when he wasn’t struggling to haul stuff in. Even trying to teleport it in was a drain on his magic that exhausted him quickly. He’d unpacked two full boxes and put a few things away by the time everything was in and put in whatever room it was likely going to call home. 

Edge made sandwiches for everyone to thank them for their help. They all ate, and little by little, began to leave. Blue and Red were the last to go. Blue gave Stretch and Edge both hugs before he left. Red flipped them both off for making him work. Stretch had to laugh at that--his job had been to direct the upstairs traffic, and he’d done so while lounging on the couch at the top of the stairs.

Once they were alone, Edge sat next to Stretch on the couch.

“It’s official,” he said with a grin. “You’re my prisoner--I mean, you live here now.”

Stretch snorted and leaned in, bumping Edge with his shoulder. “you’re well and truly stuck with me now.”

Edge wrapped his arm around Stretch and pulled him in tightly. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

The kiss they shared was full of promise. 

“How much more do you want to try to get done tonight?”

Stretch shrugged. “i dunno. i kinda want to try to get it all done, but i know that’s probably not possible.”

Edge hummed. “Probably not. Besides, I would very much like to fuck you in our bed tonight. It wouldn’t be much fun if you were too exhausted to enjoy it.”

‘Our bed.’ Stars, that sounded nice. “yeah, i guess you’re right.”

“Of course I am.” Edge smirked and kissed him. “Is there anything you need to finish before you can go to bed? Your clothes have all been taken to our room and your toiletries are in the bathroom. I’m pretty sure they haven’t been unpacked yet, so you may want to do that. At least with your toothbrush and other things.”

He kind of felt like he was leaving a mess where he shouldn’t. Being with Edge as long as he had, he had developed something of a habit of cleaning up after himself in a way he had never cared much about before. Sometimes he would let things sit for a bit longer than he should, but never when he was at Edge’s place. He respected his baby too much to let something stay messy when he was there. 

He sucked in a breath and told himself it would be okay. This was a different situation than dirty dishes or an unmade bed. Still, he could use a little encouragement. 

“i kinda feel like i’m just leaving this huge mess for someone else to clean up. that someone else being you. i don’t like it.”

Edge nodded and pulled Stretch closer. “I know what you mean. There’s a part of me that also feels like I should clean everything up and make sure everything is put away properly before anything else happens. More than that, however, I want to be with you. It’s getting late, and I know you’re tired. If you would rather work on this a little longer, I won’t stop you. However, I have the next few days off work to help you settle in, and we can work all day tomorrow doing just that.”

The thought was exciting, getting to spend the day with Edge figuring out where to put his stuff and integrating it all with Edge’s things. He nodded and kissed him. 

“you’re right. again. i am tired, and i’d like to go to bed.” He kissed Edge again, leaving no doubt about what he meant.

They spent the night celebrating the move and the step they’d taken in their relationship. The next morning, they would work on unpacking and straightening the house. 

Together, they would work through pitfalls and enjoy successes in their relationship. They would both return to work in a few days, and Stretch would start the next semester of college in a few weeks. Life would go on, and they would learn and grow with it.


End file.
